Something Fluffy, Something Sly
by DegenerateFluffington
Summary: The average life of a certain fox with a bit of a sad past; living in another generic Pokémon-related world. However, what happens when his somewhat average life takes a turn to become interesting? Rated M for bad influences, swearing, fighting with some bloodshed and more.
1. The Beginning

**Hey there, people and other species to this story. Honestly, I'm surprised you found interest in this and even clicked on this story to read it. Well, unless no one clicked this story in the first place. Then I'd be talking to myself. Which would suck, because everyone will then look at me weird. Like, 'you just destroyed a galactic tyrant by attaining a legendary form' weird. Yeah. Anyways, enough about DBZ references. You wanted something to read, no? Behold! My story!**

 ** _Disclaimer: This is rated "T" because of this story including vulgar language, fighting, and more stuff that kids shouldn't be reading. So yeah, if you are fine with the above, continue from here._**

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You ever get that feeling that you don't belong? Like, you're the odd one out? If so, then you oughta talk to me. I'm a social outcast who is in the middle of an unusual society of furs.

Ah, right. I live among furs, not humans. I guess this is some sort of alternate universe.

As for my species, I'm a fox. You may think I'm a sly creature, but no. I'm actually only 60% sly, you know. The other 40% is made up of stupidity, luck, and a whole lot of other bullshit.

Around here, it's kinda like that whole 'Zootopia' deal you have down there in that universe of Humans, to where anthro animals replace humans here. It's basically the same universe as you all, except a lot more furrier. Much more furrier. And not only that, but anthro Pokemon inhabit this big world of mine as well.

But anywho...

I then hear my bedroom's door getting knocked, causing me to get shaken out of my current trance. I then hear a familiar voice from the other side of the door.

"Big brother! Wake up and eat breakfast!"

The sound of rapid footsteps going down the hall and down the stairs then sound through the house. If you didn't realize, that was my brother. Call him Ethan.

Oh geez, I never truly introduced myself, haven't I? Well, I'm Francis. I'm happy to make your acquaintance.

Anyways, I finally got out of bed and did what I did on a typically average day such as today; did my quick morning stretch and move to change from my PJs into some casual clothes. Luckily for me, my school doesn't make their students wear uniforms. It's just a hassle to have a constant supply of the same sorts of clothes, in my opinion.

I slipped on some average black sweatpants and a simple black t-shirt. I unplugged my phone that was charing on my desk and I then ran out of my room, ready for the day ahead of me! Except… as I went to run down the stairs, I then fell down the stairs that lead to the kitchen and first floor because I had forgotten that my leg had fallen asleep.

My brother had watched the entire spectacle that had just happened, and did as any typical obnoxious brother did; laughed his ass off. After I shook off the feeling of dizziness I had gotten from falling, I gave him that deathly glare I gave to anyone who got on my nerves. Though, narrowing my eyes at him didn't seem to intimidate him one bit, since he then stuck his tongue out at me, which was just annoying. Now, I wouldn't really hurt my brother, not intentionally. I got up and moved over to him to then deliver a swift but weak slap upside his head as I walked past him, heading towards the fridge.

"Hey, that hurt!" I heard him yell at me. I chuckled inwardly as I rubbed the back of my head while I checked the fridge for what I could eat. Honestly, I think I need to be aware of how much strength I use. I have a feeling my brother will complain about that to my mother.

Speaking of her, my mom wasn't home, as usual. She had already left for work. She always works in the mornings, working until 4 in the afternoon. Sometimes she works in the evenings too, but that only happens once a week. The typical shift of a nurse is usually 8-10 hours or something.

I grabbed the box of cereal from the top of the fridge and I poured some into a bowl. Taking the milk I had gotten from the fridge, I poured some of that into the bowl as well. I then grabbed a spoon from the nearest drawer, and took a seat at the dining table.

You know, on days like these, you just get that huge feeling of boredom. You have such a routine that is quite, well, average. Not very exciting. What I would want, in my opinion, is a more exciting and adventurous life. However, thanks to the genes in my body that make me such a pansy at times, I'm unable to live that way. Like for example, I would want to hook up with someone at my school, but I'm too chicken to do so. No offence to you chickens out there.

I then glanced down to notice that I finished my cereal, making me realize that I hadn't even paid any attention to it while I was eating. I love food, but sometimes I don't realize how fast I can eat said food. Oh well, it's in my genes somewhere. Not sure where I got that from, however.

Shaking away the thought, I got up from my seat and walked over to the sink, placing my bowl in. I then made my way to the washroom, where I brushed my teeth and did all of the other necessary businesses that you do in there. After that, I grabbed my school bag, which was full of homework, textbooks, and a bunch of other school supplies I would need to get through the day.

Looking at the clock, I noticed that I was getting close to the time that school would start. So, I grabbed my hoodie, slipping it on quickly, and placed my bag on my back, ready to leave.

Giving a sort of hefty sigh, I opened the front door to my house and I started my walk towards the place I hate the most: school.

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 ** _There we go! That's chapter 1 for ya! I hope you liked/enjoyed it. If not, then I'll continue anyways. XD_** ** _Chapter 2 will be ready soon. Maybe? Then and only then will we continue about the adventures (or misadventures?) of Francis the fox._**

 ** _Have a good day, and talk to ya in chapter 2! :D_**

 ** _Edit: Alrighty, this chapter has undergone some serious maintenance and its now fixed! For those who found this story beforehand and read this story before the garbage, I apologize for any cringe given._**


	2. Friends with Somewhat Okay Benefits

**Hey there everyone! Here's another chapter for you to read, if you even enjoyed the first chapter, that is. Oh well, this one should and probably will be longer than the last one. Hopefully I'm able to write a lot for this chapter! Enjoy and stuff! :P**

 ** _Disclaimer: This story is, like I said before, rated T, due to vulgar language here and there. Viewer discretion is advised._**

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I watched as the huge dragon in front of me roared loudly, as if it were trying to threaten me to not get any closer to it. I gripped my broadsword as I grit my teeth slightly, feeling blood drip out of the huge gash on my left arm. It stung like a bitch, but I knew that it was my mission to slay the beast and rescue the princess. I looked around me, seeing fellow knights' corpses around me. I had to avenge them! I cried out, as if it were a sort of battle cry, and charged forward, gripping my sword with both my paws. I used the momentum of a nearby rock to jump upwards and went to slash at the dragon. But then suddenly...!

...the school bell rang, making me become conscious once more, and making me realize I was daydreaming again. I have quite a vivid imagination, if you didn't already notice. I usually find myself dozing off and daydreaming often, whether it be on the bus or in class.

I'm unsure if it's a pro or a con, however. I mean, I don't have anything better to do, after all. What can I say? Waiting for class to start can get boring, after all.

The teacher, who is named Mr. Wheezle (I'll let you discover what kind of animal he is), came around to collect and check everyone's work. When he passed by me, I handed in my essay I had done on how Shaymin are capable of having two different looks to their species. I hear him compliment me on my work.

"Nice work as usual, Francis."

I do my homework like any normal student, and even though it's a very boring task to do, I get high grades. Disadvantages to that, however, is that everyone seems to call you a 'know-it-all' or a 'nerd'. I don't really mind it, but it can certainly get annoying if done too much.

"Thanks, sir. Glad that you enjoy my work." I say to him, with a small smile. He replies with a nod, and continues his walk around the room to collect everyone else's work and such.

Although it seems like I like socializing with others, I don't, surprisingly. I'm just one of those people who prefers to be alone than to be with others sometimes. It's like how it is in this class. I sit at a desk right next to a window, while everyone else seem to be somewhat bunched up, doing their sorts of socializing. Although, if I were in a situation where I had to team up with others on a school project, then I just adapt to them and do my half of the work while everyone else does theirs.

Unless, of course, there's that one dumbass who doesn't do their work and it's up to me to do their work and research for them, just so the entire group doesn't fail because of the one guy that didn't bother to get any work done. Of course, it's not like I don't complain about that. I really do hate these kind of people.

I do have friends, believe it or not. There aren't any in my current class, mostly because the students in my class either are girls who just love to spread gossip to anyone they come across, or are guys who are just flat-out stupid and do some obnoxious things, like what the girls sometimes tend to do. And then there are few that actually study and do their work and stuff, but those guys are way less talkative than I am, so it really isn't an ideal choice for me to try and befriend them when I just make awkward conversation with them.

But anyways, about my friends.

So to start things off, there's my best friend, named Bryce. He's a German Shepherd, and typically part of the better minority at my school that actually pays attention and behaves well. He's older than me by a year, and somehow he's in the same grade as me. He also claims to have ADHD. If you don't know what that is, it's basically something that doesn't allow one to concentrate fully, and one can easily be distracted because of that. He also loves playing video games, like me or any guy his age. His favorite games are Destiny and anything involving the Halo Series. He's pretty laid back, but he's a kind person, not to mention very trustworthy, too. I pretty much trust him with the keys to my house. In short, he's a really good guy that I've known for a while and he has quite a lot of similarities to me.

Oh, and then there's Alice!

She's quite the anime fanatic. She's the one Pokemon you'd go to in order to find out something about any kind of anime. If you were to mention any sort of anime to her, I'm definitely sure she would know what it is. She's an Arcanine, and to make matters even cooler, she's a shiny Arcanine. She's a bit on the plump side, but it just means she seems to enjoy eating. Not only that, but her hugs are always snug, always warming up anyone whenever she gave one. She also loves to cosplay, having went to a few cons here and there. She typically makes her own costumes, only resorting to buying a costume online if she can't make it herself. Alice also has this adorable and happy sort of attitude, always giving off such positive vibes to the people around her. She's a really kind person, if you ask me. Alice is quite the anime lover and cosplaying fanatic. One of the best that I know of, too. But don't judge her because of that alone, because you'd be missing out on the rest of her positive and bright personality.

And let's not forget about Amy.

Now, like Alice, she's a Pokemon. A Flygon, to be exact. Unlike the peppy Arcanine, however, she's quite more fit and more into athletic stuff. She's wouldn't be a battling prodigy for nothing, after all! Unfortunately, she has a bit of a sour attitude, and if you get her pissed off, she'll probably be after you for a good few days. Kinda bad, sure, but I assure you she's a good person if you get to know her, even if she is willing to kick your ass if you're in her way. Anyone who hangs with her doesn't get bullied by anyone else in the school, since she statistically has a high battle win/loss ratio around the school. Kinda why I'm staying near her. Surprisingly, she isn't into the whole 'popularity' thing at all. But anyways, she's also quite smart; smarter than me, actually. It's surprising that she's capable of playing for most of the school's sports teams and making sure she hands in her work on time, not to mention with such good quality too. We don't talk as much as I'd like, and I always get the feeling that Amy and I could be better friends.

So yeah, I'm not anti-social, I just don't have many friends around here.

Soon, I realized that I had dozed off once more and I had skipped out on listening what Mr. Wheezle was teaching us in class today, which was about Pythagoras, a sort of math that I'm not quite fond of.

Anyways, he then handed out worksheets for all of the class to start working on. I quickly went to work at it once he gave me the worksheet, since I may as well do it. Math isn't a subject I like, but I still gotta do good with it anyways, regardless if I like it or not.

As I moved my pencil on the paper, writing down numbers and doing the math in my head, I didn't notice that half of the class had their eyes on me. I heard snickers and mumbling from around me as the classroom got a bit more quieter than usual. I shrugged it off, simply thinking it was just one of those awkward silences that happen every so often.

Suddenly, I felt a crumpled piece of paper hit me on the back of my head.

Surprised, I immediately jerked my head up and looked around with a confused expression on my face, while the part of the class that had been watching me burst out in seemingly hysterical laughter. I think I made a weird face or something.

"Heheheh, did you see the way he looked up? What a joke!" A Rhydon jock said from across the room, snickering.

"Hahaha, yeah! That's hilarious!" A female raccoon that sat near him said, giggling to the apparent 'funny joke'.

I listened to what they said over their constant laughter, and I paid them no mind. Mr. Wheezle put the magazine he was reading down onto his desk as he tried to shush the class.

"Hey, what'd I say about about being so damn loud?! You kids are always causing trouble!" He says as he then huffs in annoyance. The students eventually quiet down, even if some continue to quietly chuckle and snicker at the terrible joke they had done. I couldn't really be mad, since they didn't do that much harm to me. Even if it was my self-esteem being damaged. I keep a mental note to tell the others about what had happened later at our lunch break. Amy would probably go off and beat them up, which is something I wouldn't want.

So once again, I continued the work I had started earlier. Eventually, however… I went back to daydreaming as I absentmindedly did the work.

I ran for my life, knowing that if I stopped, I would be annihilated immediately. Destroyed. I kept running, not acknowledging that I needed to stop for a breath or water break. You ask who I'm running from? Oh, um...I'm unsure. Let's just say darkness, okay? Anyways, I quickly vaulted over a table, not caring about the coffee and other stuff owned by someone else on that said table. But then, the unthinkable happened; I slipped. It was over a banana peel, too. Curse you, beings who always leave coincidental banana peels! Anyways, I watched the darkness get closer, and closer, and closer, until...!

I get thrown out of my thoughts once more as I hear the school's bell ring again, indicating it was time for my next class. I sighed as I placed my notebooks and writing utensils into my bag, then I made my way to my next class. I didn't want to be late for my next class.

I don't like being late in general.

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 **And that was all she wrote! Well, what I wrote. I'm having fun with this, and I'm anticipating to do more of this. :)**

 **Stay tuned for another episode of "Something Fluffy, Something Sly"!**

 ** _Edit: So I've just updated this chapter to fit my new standards, and it should definitely be better. Props to Chlooepm for helping me re-edit and rewrite this chapter. 2 chapters down, another dozen or so to go._**


	3. Explanations

**Hey there, welcome back to this story! Just to clarify, the only reason why this is in the "Misc. Games" section here is because there will be references to other games. Pokemon was technically already mentioned, so actually...maybe I need to change this story's section to the Pokemon X-over section. I don't know, honestly. Anyways, enjoy Chapter 3. It should be longer as I get more skilled at doing this. It is my first rodeo here, after all.**

 ** _Disclaimer: I, DegenerationFluffington, do not own Pokemon or any other games listed, mentioned and/or showcased in this story. Also, the following story is rated T due to the constant vulgar language and eventual bloodshed, as shown in the previous chapter, even if it was just for one part of the story that never actually happened. Viewer... erm, reader discretion is advised. Also, I am not sponsored by any kind of product(s) mentioned throughout this story, but I wish I was._**

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"WHAAAAAAT?! Did they really do that to you?!"

Alice looked surprised as she sat beside me, holding a small carton of milk. I sat at a lunch table in the cafeteria with my three friends. I just started talking to my friends about what had happened during my math class earlier.

"Yep, they all laughed and everything." I said, sighing as I started munching on the ham sandwich my mother had made me for today. Amy pounded on the table once, growling a bit. She clearly didn't like what she heard.

"Grr...when I find out who messed with _Franny_ , I will break 'em! Every one of them!"

Honestly, I feel like she was overreacting a little bit. I also kinda despise when she calls me that nickname she's given me. However, I wouldn't want to anger her, so I've decided to keep quiet about it. Besides, at least she was on my side for this kind of thing.

I then watched her move to stand up, but Bryce placed a paw on her shoulder and stopped her.

"Amy, just chill out, would ya? They don't really need to be beaten up for that since they didn't do any real harm." There goes Bryce again, telling Amy to calm down, just to keep the peace. "I mean sure, harassing someone is bad and all, but they didn't actually physically hurt him. Right, Francis?" I replied to the German Shepherd with a simple answer.

"Y-yeah, I guess so." I said, glancing at Amy and Bryce, then back at my food. Although I wouldn't want any violence to occur or want Amy to get suspended for the 5th time this year, I'll admit that it's pretty satisfying to watch bullies get beat up for what they've done.

Amy looked at Bryce for a moment, then huffed before sitting back in her seat and munching on the fries she had bought from the school's cafeteria.

"Fine, I guess." She mumbled as she then took a bite from a burger, also originating from the school's cafeteria. In my opinion, the school's food is made with such terrible quality... However, at least the food was somewhat edible, I suppose.

"Aww, you poor fox! You must have been super embarrassed because of that, weren't you?" Alice said, seemingly worried for my well being. That's the Alice we all knew well, being as kind and caring as a Kangaskhan would to their baby. It's her usual behavior, always worrying about us when something bad happens. She then hugged me close to her, putting me in a very comfortable and motherly kind of hug, as if to comfort me.

After a good few seconds, Alice then pulled away from the hug and gave a few soft pats to my head before going back to reading the latest issue of _Dragon Ball Super._

"U-uh… I-I guess so." I sputtered, starting to realize I was blushing a bit, since my face felt somewhat hot at that moment. Alice sighed a bit, before giving more of her thought to the conversation.

"Well, at least you aren't too shaken up from it." She says as she takes another sip from her milk carton. Agreeing with her, I gave a curt nod.

Eventually, I finished up my lunch along with everyone else. We continued to chat about other miscellaneous things, such as Bryce telling us about something funny happening during his usual gaming sessions, Amy telling us about how the vending machine completely frauded her for a bag of _Lays_ potato chips that costed about two dollars, or Alice telling us about how Zoro from _One Piece_ would definitely beat Erza from _Fairy Tail_. If they were to get into a fight, of course.

I would always listen in, adding in something to say about whatever they were talking about every now and then, since I don't really have anything to speak about.

I don't really do anything that is interesting, other than play the piano. I'm quite good at it, actually. However, I'm not one to show off, so I don't really mention my musical talents to anyone unless they ask about me. Though, I do know that Alice just loves when I learn to play the songs that she shows me. Some of the songs she asks me to learn, if not most, are from the animes that she watches, both ones that I recognize and ones that I don't recognize.

After checking the cafeteria's clock, I stood up, realizing that it was about time that I head towards the next class.

"Well, would you look at the time? I gotta get going now. Class should be starting in a bit." I grabbed my backpack as my friends nodded to me, already agreeing that they should probably start doing the same and head to their classes.

"Alrighty then. Alice, Amy… see ya around after school maybe?" Bryce asked to the two girls, who nodded to him.

"Yeah, of course! We gotta do that geography project after school!" Alice remembered, looking between the Flygon and the German Shepherd. Amy scratched her head chin slightly, smirking.

"Heh, typical Alice. You forgot about it already, and it was just last period." Amy said, teasing Alice a bit. She giggled nervously, as Alice rubbed the back of her head. But as Amy went to head out, Bryce called out to her.

"Oh, and Amy?" Bryce looked over at her, giving a thumbs up. "Good luck on that test of yours later." Amy simply scoffed.

"Pfft, as if I would need luck on tests as easy as it is to open a can of coke! But… thanks, I guess." Amy grabbed her duffel bag of stuff and went off. As Bryce and I waved goodbye at Amy, Alice then went over to the both of us to give us a quick, tight and friendly hug.

"See you boys later and stuff, toodles!" She then skipped off, humming the theme of an anime's intro. I once again got flustered from Amy hugging me, since it was a bit unexpected. I could bet Bryce was feeling the same.

After I regained my composure, I left the cafeteria with Bryce in tow.

He followed me, just because his next class was with me. It was a visual arts class, which wasn't too bad, since I happen to be alright at doing stuff in the arts. Both in the musical and artistic perspectives. Bryce is the same as well, but can't really play any real instruments unless you were to count the ocarina he has stored somewhere in his house. If you had heard him play, you'd probably mistake him for _Link_ himself.

We walked down the hall filled with various kinds of Pokemon, furs and other sorts of hybrids going about their day, getting to their classes and such. That, or they were preparing to skip their classes. Honestly, I can really dislike school, but I wouldn't dare skip any of my classes because the things that school can teach you can be summed up to be useful at most times of your life.

I looked over at Bryce, who seemed to be in a sort of deep thought, as if he were thinking of something. I nudged his shoulder, just to be able to socialize a bit before we get to class.

"Hm? What's up?" He turned his head to look at me, giving me his full attention. I then realize that I didn't actually think of something to talk about. So I ended up asking the first thought that came to my mind.

"So, you got a girlfriend yet, man?" I internally facepalmed, just because I realized that he never likes when I ask him that question. I see Bryce sigh for a moment before he replied to my question. He stopped walking for a moment and looked at me with a serious look on his face.

"Dude, I'm still single. Like yesterday, and last week, and the month before that. Though, I'm not sure if I want to get a girlfriend anytime soon either." I nodded, understanding why he would say that. "The girls in this school are either not interested, are assholes, or are… well, both." He's right in saying the girls at our school are quite… well, in my opinion, ignorant. They're either, like Bryce had said, uninterested in guys like us, are assholes, or both entirely. It's kinda sad, to be honest. But it's the sad truth, unfortunately.

"Sorry for asking." I apologized to the German Shepherd. He sighed, nodding before he replied to me once more.

"Don't worry about it, dude. It's an honest mistake." Bryce said a bit sourly as he then continued walking to the class. I followed once more.

And with that, it was probably the end of that conversation. He knew I meant well, but I have a feeling I may have just triggered him a bit.

In time, we made it to the art classroom. Bryce and I sat at the table near the back of the classroom, just because we deemed it as 'our table'. Our art teacher, whose name was Ms. Mabler, walked into the classroom. As she walked in, she gave us a quick, dismissive wave of her tail. She was a Smeargle, which made a lot of sense as to why she was an art teacher in the first place.

She told us to continue working on the sketches that we needed for a future project we were going to do soon. Once she gave the signal to get working, I did just that. I slipped out my sketch book from my bag and opened up to my most recent page; a sketch of a Lucario in a battle stance.

Speaking of Lucario, did you know I'm actually half Lucario? Seriously, I might look like a fox and everything, but I have the genes of a Lucario in my blood. I should know, since my dad is one.

While my mother is a fox, my father is a Lucario. I have my father's blood in me, which means I would also have the powers of a fighting type. Basically, I'm able to use moves like Aura Sphere or Focus Blast, even if I'm not actually any kind of Pokemon.

Bryce is similar to me. Since his mother is a Typhlosion, he's able use Flamethrower and other fire type moves. It also explains how even though I slapped my brother upside the head with little effort, he still got a bit hurt from it. Like I said before, I sometimes don't know my strength.

I guess I could consider myself a 'hybrid furry', so to speak.

Anyways, out of the corner of my eye, I see Bryce take his sketchbook out of his bag. I remember him telling me that he would be sketching a picture of Lugia, legendary Pokemon and ' _Guardian of the Seas_ '. I look over slightly to see that his drawing is going quite well. It looked to be pretty detailed.

"Hey, that sketch of a Lucario is pretty cool." Bryce said, glancing over at my drawing. He admired my drawing, and I liked that.

"Heh, thanks man." I returned the favor by complimenting him back. "Yours is pretty good as well."

I continued to work on my sketch, adding certain details in the background and such. As I kept up my sketching, my mind continued to wander and I began to wonder about things.

Since I have the blood of a Lucario in me, does that mean I'm able to _mega evolve_ as well?

I stopped sketching for a moment and pondered my thoughts. It's possible. Very possible, indeed. I wonder what I would look like with such powers activated. My father never told me much about it, since he wasn't able to do that himself. But what he did tell me was that you'd apparently get a huge surge of power flow through your body when it happened. However, the way you'd activate such an ability is unknown to even the world's greatest and skilled fighters.

Okay, I know that in your world of Humans and such, Pokemon can only mega evolve through the bond of the trainer and the Pokemon itself, no? Well here, it's different. Since there aren't really trainers here to bond with their Pokemon to be able to mega evolve, they need to teach themselves how to do that or get taught to harness their power in a certain way to be able to access mega evolution. Confusing? Yeah, I thought so.

It would be quite cool to see a hybrid Pokemon/fur mega evolved. My appearance would change, yes, but what would I look like? Would I still look like a fox, but have different colored fur? Would I turn into a Lucario?

However, I then realize another thing that brought my hopes down, and it was that there hasn't been any kinds of recorded sightings of that happening in the world, so I wonder if it can even happen in the first place. I'll see in time, hopefully.

I continued working on my project, shading in certain areas just to make it a bit more realistic. I wasn't fond of shading in the first place, but I suppose shading can make almost any drawing better.

Details can be everything to an artist, after all.

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 **Edit: I remade this chapter, on to the next! Can't wait to work on Chapter 4 soon! See ya later, guys! :)**


	4. Memories

**Hey guys and gals, welcome back to this story! Glad your continuing to read this story! :)**

 **So yeah, let's get right into this chapter. I don't really have anything else to say, except I've gotten to round 31 on Der Eisendrache. Don't know what that is? Well, it's a zombies map from Black Ops 3 and honestly, it's not the best game in the world. XD**

 ** _Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any other game mentioned in this story. This story is also rated "T", due to the vulgar language and fighting ahead._**

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I let out a curt yawn as I straightened up my sleeveless hoodie, making my way back to my house.

I had just left the school as the day had just finished, and it was yet another normal walk home from school for me. As expected from me at this time of day, I once again find myself wondering what I should do when I get back home.

Should I eat? Should I practice the songs I know on the piano? Should I go train in the backyard? There were many things I could definitely be doing. But once again, like always, I couldn't seem to make a decision as to what I could occupy myself with. Like I said before, every day was starting to feel like the last, and it's becoming so average and boring that it's starting to become repetitive at this point.

However, there isn't much wrong with having a boring life to live, it just means it's more chill in general, I suppose.

I popped my headset in and turned on the music on my phone, deciding to listen to some music on the way to my house. My playlist varied between quite a few songs, going from the calming beats to even some soft rock. Whenever I listen to music, the songs I listen to depends on my current mood.

Eventually, I got to my street and spent the next minute going down the block, since my house is found at the end of the street. Soon, I stood in front of my house. It's as normal as a house can get; it has two floors, plus a basement and an attic. It was made with bricks and such, and had a few windows here and there. I sighed to myself happily, since I was finally able to come back to the safe place I like to call home. Somewhere I could kick my feet up and relax a bit, even for a little while at least.

I walked up to my door and took my key out, attached to a purple keychain. I then slipped the keys into their respective holes and such, unlocking the door.

Opening the door, I see my brother is already home. Upon further inspection, I see that he's relaxing on the couch in the living room while gaming on our Xbox, complete with a controller in his paws and a headset around his head. This was typically the sight I see whenever I get home; my brother already playing video games as soon as he comes home from school. I spoke up, wanting to say hello to him.

"Hey bro, what's up? Got no homework?" I say to him as I close the front door and going over to stand behind him and the couch.

I wait a few seconds, awaiting his reply. Five seconds pass… ten seconds pass… thirty seconds pass… eventually, I got fed up with him. I decided that trying to talk to him while he's gaming isn't really fun since it's really just a one-sided conversation. He was just sitting there and moving his fingers on the controller, eyes locked on the TV screen. Seems he was concentrating way too hard to greet me.

"Fine then, suit yourself." I said under my breath in annoyance as I turned around to head for the stairs. I make my way up the stairs, and up to where my room is. Once up the stairs, I head down the hall and eventually, one door down and to the left is where my room is located. Going into my room, I let out a sigh as I entered.

My room wasn't quite messy, but it wasn't exactly clean and tidy either. The walls were painted with a light-ish blue color, and I had a few pictures hanged up here and there. I had a window on one side of my room as well, overlooking the backyard. Looking over at my bed, it was clearly unmade from me waking up this morning. Other than my desk, wardrobe and bookshelf, my bedroom was pretty mediocre.

I closed the door behind me and I placed my backpack down next to my bed. Stretching a bit, I then started to change out of my clothes, changing into the clothes I usually wore at home; a pair of black tracksuit pants and a generic t-shirt, this time it being the color white.

I moved to lay down on my bed and I looked up at the white-colored ceiling. I'm glad I never got any homework from school and all, aside from a few sketching projects here and there, but it can get really boring when you have nothing to do at all.

Eventually, I sat up on my bed and stood up to look at one of the pictures I had hanged up on the wall next to my bed. The picture was of Bryce and I as kids, standing in front of a big fish that had been caught. We had our arms around each other in a sorts of friendly embrace with both our mouths broken out into big smiles. I smiled a bit to myself, getting the memories as to where and when this picture was taken. It was taken quite a good few years back, and it was when my family and Bryce's family had decided to go camping for a long weekend off of school.

(Flashback)

 _My parents were friends with Bryce's, and so they planned out a multi-day camping trip to an area near a small lake somewhere up North._

 _"Mom, are we there yet?" The words that any kid would say on a road trip. I looked over to my mother as I sat in the backseat of the van beside my brother, smiling as innocent as any child could be at the age of nine._

 _"Not quite, Francis." She said to me, looking out for the exit we were supposed to leave at on the highway. "We'll be there in no time, but only if you're patient."_

 _"Aww… okay." I said as I nodded, frowning a bit. Even though I understood to be patient, I was still somewhat sad I had to wait until our camping adventure would begin. My ears lowered slightly as I let out a sigh. I think my dad noticed the disappointment in the tone of my voice. He cleared his throat as he changed lanes._

 _"Son, how about I go take you and your friend fishing at the lake once we get there?" My dad asked, looking in the rear mirror at me. I gasped, and my face then lit up in excitement. I hadn't gone finishing and it would be my first time doing so. Naturally, any kid who would be trying something fun for the first time would leave them excited and giddy with happiness._

 _"Yes, please!" I said, practically fidgeting in my seat. "I wanna go fishing!" My dad chuckled as he once again turned to change lanes._

 _"Heh, alright then." He said with a bright smile. "We'll go fishing as soon as we get there and set up camp. But… please keep it down, your brother is sleeping, Francis." I chuckled a bit nervously, calming myself down a bit._

 _"Ehehe… sorry, dad." I apologized, rubbing the back of my head._

 _As I sat in my seat, I thought about Bryce and I wondered how excited he was to go on this camping trip. I wondered if the car he was in managed to keep up with us, since his parents were supposed to be following our car. I also wondered if Bryce himself was as bored as I was during this car ride. I mean, he had his older sister with him, and she would have probably found some way to entertain herself as well as him._

 _Eventually, we got to the campsite. It was pretty generic, with all sorts of features a regular campsite would have; a good clearing, a place for a campfire, and all the other kinds of stuff. We spent a good hour unpacking all of our things and putting up our tents. While my mother and Ethan were finishing to unpack our stuff, my dad gestured for me to come over. I did so, wondering if it was time to go fishing yet._

 _"Hey dad! Is it time for fishing now?" I asked with enthusiasm, my mouth already curving into a big grin. He gave a good chuckle as he ruffled my hair._

 _"It sure is, bud! Just get Bryce, and let's get going!" He answered, grinning as well. He then pointed over to where Bryce's family was. Their tent seemed to be all set up, and they seemed to be bringing their supplies from their van over to their spot. Nodding, I sped off, running over to where Bryce was. Once I got close enough, he noticed, and he turned to face me._

 _"Hey Francis, what's up?" Bryce said, adjusting the somewhat puffy red vest he was wearing._

 _"My dad is gonna take me fishing, and he wants to know if you could come as well!" I told him with excitement. His mouth moved in the shape of an 'o' for a moment, then his face lit up excitedly as well. Clearly, he hadn't gone fishing before either._

 _"Oh, that sounds awesome! Lemmie ask my mom if I can go first, though." He told me, then left me in a flash to find his mother. After a minute or so, he came back with his very own fishing rod in hand._

 _"I can go!" He exclaimed with happiness. "C'mon, let's not keep your dad waiting, Francis!" And with that, we made our way back to my father._

 _Once we regrouped with my dad, we got going. We left camp with all of our fishing supplies and of course, our fishing rods. We had to walk down a forest path to get to the fishing spot on the lake. While my father led the way, me and Bryce followed him closely. He and I were taking in the scenery of the forest as we walked._

 _"Wow… this forest looks so cool! I sure didn't expect camping to be so cool!" Bryce said as he looked around, staring at the nature around us. I agreed with him._

 _"Haha, it sure is." I responded to my German Shepherd friend. It was his first time going camping, and it was my first time as well. I held my fishing rod in my paws, making sure that I didn't hit a tree or a bush with it by accident. Bryce did the same._

 _Just as I was starting to wonder where exactly the lake was, as if on queue, my father then spoke up._

 _"Alright, boys… the lake is just up ahead now." He said as he turned for a moment to look at us, and gave us a reassuring smile. I nodded to him, my tail wagging in anticipation. I glance at Bryce, and he seems to be just as excited as I am._

 _Finally, we got to the lake. From the top of the hill overlooking the lake, it looked incredible as the sun shimmered on the water's surface. It was truly a sight to behold._

 _"Like the view, you two?" He said, smiling as he looked at the view with us. Both of us nodded our heads, unable to comment on the beautiful view that stood before us._

 _Soon, my father led us down to the lake and led us over to this wooden pier. We found the pier to be a bit shaky as we walked on it, but my dad told us it was the water making it sway. He led us over to a spot on one of the ends of the pier._

 _"Alrighty, this will be our fishing spot for today!" He said, placing his gear down next to him. We nodded as we stood next to him._

 _After my father helped us set up our fishing rods with the bait and such, we all threw our lines out, awaiting for an unsuspecting fish to come around for us to catch._

 _I was full of excitement, staring at where my line met the water, awaiting for my line to be pulled by a fish. Of course… that excitement seemed to be short-lived._

 _The seconds soon became minutes, which then became the entire time we were there, Bryce and I hadn't caught a single fish. Meanwhile, my dad somehow went and caught quite a lot of fish._

 _We even tried switching spots on the pier several times, but to no apparent avail. We still continued to not be able to get anything on our lines, not even a nibble. Eventually, it became dark outside and Bryce and I were both very disappointed and discouraged that we couldn't catch even one fish._

 _"Darn it, we couldn't catch a single one." Bryce sighed, reeling his line back in slowly as his tail sagged, clearly disappointed._

 _"Don't worry, kids. It was just your first time fishing anyways." My father said, reassuring us that it was okay. "When I first went fishing, I didn't catch a single fish either. But after a while, I eventually caught my first fish, and then I learned the skills of fishing! We'll try again tomorrow, but for now, let's head back to camp." He started to take apart his fishing rod and such. I sighed._

 _"Alright, dad…" I said as I nodded, understanding what he was saying, but still felt disappointed. I finally accepted to turn in the towel for today._

 _I reel my line back up to me, but then I felt a strong tug at it, causing me to grip my fishing rod. I was surprised and a bit startled, not expected something to be tugging at my line. Bryce quickly noticed what was going on, since he was right beside me, and quickly went for my aid._

 _"Woah, what's going on?" He asked me as he took a grip of my fishing rod as well._

 _"I-I dunno, Bryce! I think something got caught on my line, and it's trying to get free!" I said frantically, trying to pull it back with me. However, despite the both of us trying to bring the line back, we still couldn't manage to get the strength to bring whatever was in the water back up to the surface._

 _Suddenly, a surge of strength flows right through me, and for some reason I felt as if the strong tugging of the line weren't as strong as it was before. And before I realize what happened, I tug the line back with ease and I find myself and Bryce falling backwards as we bring up what we had caught from the water. We both grunted as we hit the wooden planks on the dock._

 _As we came to our senses, we looked on to see what had landed at our feet. To our surprise, it was a fish, and it was the biggest we had ever seen in our lives. Our jaws dropped upon seeing the fish. It was definitely much bigger than the fishes that my dad had caught earlier on._

 _Speaking of my dad, he heard the commotion and quickly came over to us._

 _"Kids, what happe- woah!" He exclaimed, surprised to see such a big fish at our feet. It stopped flopping at this point and simply laid there, flat. "Did... how did you kids catch a fish of this size?"_

 _Upon him asking us that, we had no idea how we possibly could have caught it. All I knew was that some sort of strength came over me, and it allowed me to be able to pull it up from the water._

 _"I… I don't know what happened, dad." I said somewhat meekly, scratching the back of my head. He nodded, then helped us up._

 _"Well, c'mon! Let's get this big fish back to camp!" He said with a smile, taking out a large net for the big fish. "The others will certainly be impressed and surprised."_

 _When we got back to the camp, I could remember the look on my everyone's face when we showed them the big fish._

 _"Gosh, what a big fish!" My mother said, shocked. "Did your father catch this?" Before I could speak up, my dad explained what happened instead._

 _"Nope! The kids caught it, all on their own!" He said, and my mother seemed to get even more surprised. She didn't expect me to be physically strong at all, clearly._

 _And later on when we were having dinner by the campfire, Bryce and I were talking more about it._

 _"I can't believe we did that, Bryce! If it weren't for your help, we wouldn't have caught the big fish!" I exclaimed happily as we both ate some marshmallows from a bag. He grinned from ear to ear, happy that he was able to help me. I gave him a big hug, showing my best friend that I cared. He returned the hug back, laughing._

 _Little did I know that my mom had snapped the picture of me and Bryce hugging._

 _Later on that night, however, I went to my dad and explained to him what sort of sensations I was feeling when we pulled the fish up._

 _"So you felt an overwhelming strength in you, eh?" He asked me, scratching his chin. I nodded, and he hummed for a moment, thinking._

 _"Hmmm… well golly, you must have used the move 'Strength'! It allows the one using the move to gain a temporary strength, per say, and be able to move things 10 times their size!" He exclaimed, and I looked at him, surprised. Was I really capable of lifting that much? I didn't work out often, so how was I able to do that?_

 _Noticing me thinking hard, he spoke up once more._

 _"You must be able to do that because you have the genes of a Lucario in your blood!" He exclaimed before he kneeled down so his eyes could be level with mine. "You have so much latent potential, and it was just waiting for you to unleash it." I was blown away. Was I really capable of being a fighter, just like my dad?_

 _"Y-you really mean it, dad?" I asked him, and he nodded. He smiled as he placed a paw on my shoulder._

 _"Of course! I know when someone has potential." He tells me, seemingly having a twinkle in his eye. "I want to start training you once we come back from this camping trip." My eyes widened, surprised that my father would want to train me. He never tried, but now that he found out about my potential, he's clearly getting excited to train me._

 _"Alright! I wanna be strong like you!" I exclaimed, grinning at him with determination. He let out a hefty laugh._

 _"Hahah, that's the spirit!" He said as he gave me a few pats on the back._

 _Although my mom was against it at first, my dad had explained that it would basically be 'free self-defense' classes. She immediately agreed after the explanation, knowing that it's good to be prepared for the future. However, I didn't want Bryce to know that it was me who had done that, and I didn't need his help after all. I didn't want to admit that. In fact… I'm sure he still doesn't know to this day. Besides, it would have ruined our little moment._

(End Flashback)

I sighed to myself. It was always nice to reminisce about the good times I had back then.

I looked over to another picture; this one of my dad and me, both of us in somewhat battered karate gear. In this picture, we had just finished one of our daily training sessions and my mom wanted a picture of us after the training session. It happened a month or so after our camping trip, and I had started to get a grasp at how to use attacks and defend myself.

My dad trained me hard and I learned quite a few fighting type moves over the few weeks we spent training. I learned moves like Close Combat or Mega Punch, then adapted them as if they were my own moves, so I could use them in my way. The day she took our picture was also the day he taught me how to use Aura Sphere.

(Flashback 2)

 _I tied a red martial arts belt around my waist, and I looked at myself in the mirror, grinning to myself. I loved the gi my mother had gotten for me when she went shopping the other day. It was purple, and it came with wrist bands and a belt that were white. Making sure I had my my new training wear all snugly, I ran out of my bedroom to meet my father in the backyard. I had a feeling that he was waiting for me outside._

 _As soon as I ran out the back door of my house, I saw my father standing there in the middle of the backyard, taking in the nature of our place. The day was bright, with the sun shining bright in the sky. Perfect for a day of training. I noticed that he was once again wearing a similar gi to mine, but his was orange in colour and he had a black belt along with it. My mother seemed to have done shopping for him too. Noticing that I were here, he smiled._

 _"Come, Francis! It's about time you got out here." He exclaimed to me as he then gestured for me to approach him. I nod, then quickly ran over so that I could stand in front of him, to the point where he practically towered over me. I looked up, just to be able to properly stare at him. He looked down at me and patted my head briefly._

 _"Wow, you look so professional when you're wearing that. You remind me of myself in my youth in a way, heh." He said softly, scratching behind my ear. I couldn't help but blush a bit, feeling flattered. I giggled a bit as he scratched the back of my ear. When he stopped, he took a few steps back to have a bit of distance between us. Maybe about five metres worth of distance or something._

 _"Are… w-we going to start now, dad?" I said, stuttering a bit. I felt a bit nervous, since I wasn't sure how hard the training will be this time, as always. He nodded to me, and he got into his usual fighting stance._

 _"Remember Francis; don't hold back. Don't worry about me." He gave me his iconic reassuring smile. I gulped and nodded, taking a similar stance. However, the difference was that my stance was a bit more defensive than his._

 _"Your move, son!" He exclaimed, gesturing for me to come at him. I nodded, and sped forward. He went to block, but I didn't want to attack him directly head on. As soon as I was a few inches away from him, I used Agility, causing my speed to triple for a moment. I sped around and moved behind him before he realized and quickly used Mega Punch. My fist connected with his back, and it caused him to tumble and fall forwards. I laughed, already having fun in this training session. He always let me have the first move, which was a sign of respect to me, even if I was so much younger than my dad. He chuckled once more, getting up off the ground and dusting himself off._

 _"Heh, nice move combination there, son. I didn't expect you to do that." I grinned, happy that I was able to train with the strongest that I knew. I was quite lucky to have my dad as, well… as my dad, and also the one who could train me._

 _"Alright, keep up the pace now. Don't slow down just because you got the first hit in!" My father said, hopping right back up and getting into his fighting stance again. He gave me the signal, and I once again charged right at him. Once I got close enough, I started to send a few punches, kicks, jabs and other blows his way. He blocked most of my attacks with ease, using his arms or legs to do so. When one of my punches hit, he let out a bit of a grunt, but didn't seem phased by it. My father truly was a strong fighter._

 _I ended off my fury of attacks by sending another Mega Punch at him. He blocked the attack this time, but slid backwards a bit. I panted a bit, kinda tired from keeping up those punches and kicks for several minutes. Falling out of his stance, he grinned at me, looking quite impressed._

 _"Very good, Francis. I've taught you everything I know well," he started. "However… I think your kicks need a bit of work. We'll keep working on that later." I nodded, wiping a bit of sweat off of my head._

 _"Yes, father. Thank you." I said, shaking some numbness out of my paw slightly. He nodded to me as he then got back into his stance._

 _"Now it's my turn to attack, alright? Keep up with my attacks, do what I've taught you." My father said, changing his stance to be a bit more offensive. "Block, dodge and use any other strategies I've taught you. Alright?" He then got ready to charge me, making me go back into my defensive stance, preparing for his onslaught of attacks and whatnot._

 _"Alright, dad! I'm ready!" I nod at him, signaling that I'm ready._

 _"Okay then, here I go!" He exclaims to me as he charges at me with breathtaking speed. Once he gets close to me, he starts using Close Combat on me, his strikes being far more powerful and less sloppy. However, I blocked the strikes he attempted to give to me while I used Protect, concentrating a barrier to block his incoming attacks. I walked backwards, while my father walked forwards, forcing me back._

 _Then, he used the move Feint, breaking my protective barrier and nailing me right on the head with his paw. I yelped out in surprise and stopped moving, falling backwards onto my back. He stopped his attack, awaiting for me to get back up. I rubbed the spot on my head where he hit me as I winced and groaned a bit, sitting up. He crossed his arms as I looked up at him. He was frowning._

 _"Not bad. However, you have to remember that you can't hide behind your protective barrier forever, Francis. There are many moves that are capable of breaking through them, so that means you can't depend on it." He explained to me briefly, and I nodded in understanding as he helped me up onto my feet… erm, paws. He looked at the spot where he hit me on the head, then sighed, rubbing the small bump a bit soothingly._

 _"I'm sorry, did I hit you too hard? Does it hurt much?" He asked me, somewhat worried for my well being. That's what I like about my father. He's so caring, even if he was in a battle._

 _"Y-yeah, I'm okay." I nodded, shaking off the pain and awaiting it to just disappear. He smiled, jumping back to give us both distance once more._

 _"You never give up! That's good. Now… I'll now teach you how to use a move called Aura Sphere. It'll sound hard, but it isn't. It's easy once you get it." He explained, gaining a big grin on his face._

 _I nodded, grinning happily at his compliment and in excitement because of the new technique I would be learning. I remember my dad showing me the move Aura Sphere before. It was definitely a really cool move._

 _After quite a few explanations from my dad about how to use the move properly, I understood how to do it and went to try it on a wooden dummy that he set up._

 _I stood a few meters away from the dummy as I took the proper stance, attempting to charge up the Aura Sphere attack. I put the palms of my paws together and concentrated my energy to flow into my paws. The key to using this move is that you gotta channel your aura into your paws and charge up enough of it to be able to even damage the other being. However, you also gotta launch it, which is quite a lot of concentration as it is. I concentrated as much as I could, gritting my teeth slightly. My father was watching me off to the side, and it was nerve wracking to fail when others were watching. I felt energy coursing through my body, and it was everywhere! I felt excited, but I knew it wasn't time to celebrate yet. I closed my eyes and continued concentrating my energy into my palms, continuing to grit my teeth in both determination and concentration. As I did this, I felt the energy start to leave my body and I started to relax more. I took a deep breath in as I felt the energy resonate and come from my paws. I kept going, harnessing more of my body's aura into my paws._

 _Suddenly, I felt no energy in my body except in my paws. Confused, I opened my eyes to see myself surrounded with a blue-ish energy. Then, in my paws, I see a somewhat big orb of energy, charged up from the aura in my body. I had done it, I had charged up an Aura Sphere!_

 _"Good job, son! You've done it! Now, concentrate on where you want it to be, which is that wooden dummy. Then, launch the sphere at it!" He yelled out to me from the sidelines, and I nodded to him as I glanced in his direction. His words were quite encouraging._

 _I looked at the wooden dummy, and imagined blasting my Aura Sphere attack at it, shattering it to millions of pieces. I closed my eyes once more, visualizing where I wanted the attack to go to over and over again. I wanted it to go straight at the dummy. I took another deep breath as I then threw the ball of concentrated aura energy at the wooden dummy, and even though it went off course a bit, I controlled its course as it then hit the dummy successfully!_

 _I mean… my attack didn't end up shattering it like I had thought it would, however. My attack had just simply rattled it, making a few bits of wood get blown off. Regardless, I jumped for joy, for I had been able to do an Aura Sphere attack, and for the first time around too! My dad came up to me, smiling proudly. He pet my head softly._

 _"I knew you had it in ya, kiddo. You really do have my blood in you." He chuckled, then hugged me tight. Although I was surprised by this action, I hugged him back happily. Soon after, he pulled away from the hug, and nodded to me._

 _"Now that you've learned it, now I'll help you master it!" I nodded to him, grinning._

 _"Alright! I can't wait, dad!" I said to him, with determination in my voice._

 _We trained for a couple more hours, getting ourselves dirty in our very own backyard. At the end of the day, I was able to destroy the wooden dummy with my Aura Sphere attack._

 _I was quite proud of myself, as was my dad._

(End Flashback 2)

I sighed to myself as I had found my old, tattered purple gi in my closet. It's ripped in some places from the rigorous training I later endured from my father, and it's not even my size anymore. Yet, my mom washed it and hid it in my closet. I thought she threw it out a while ago. I thought to myself, and wondered if I should go to the nearby clothes store to see if they still have a gi like my old one, but in my current size.

I threw my dirty clothes that I had worn today into the laundry basket in my room, then went out of my bedroom, heading back downstairs to the kitchen to get a snack before my mother cooked dinner when she came home from work.

But alas, right as I reached into the cupboard for a bag of potato chips, my mother walked through the front door, placing her bag of stuff down next to the couch.

"Hi, mom. Work stressful as usual?" I call out to her, trying to spark a conversation with my mother. She nods tiredly as she then goes upstairs to get changed out of her sweaty uniform. I shrugged, before starting to boil up water for my mom to be able to make herself some tea. Yeah, tea. She doesn't really like coffee.

By the time she came down, the water was already boiled for her to use. She thanked me briefly before making tea.

I looked to the clock; 4:41 pm. I still had time before dinner. A little studying wouldn't hurt, would it?

After all, eating after doing some work is better, no?

* * *

 **Please tell me I'm getting better at this. I need to be, or else this story can't continue. Remember to review and stuff, and have a Christmas and New Year. Hope your 2016 went better than mine. XD**

 **See you in chapter 5, everyone! It'll be uploaded sometime in January 2017! :)**

 **Edit: Bam, rewritten and stuffs. Big props to Chlooepm for making the editing and rewriting for this chapter a faster process. She's been helping me for the past few chapters I've went and fixed, and will hopefully continue to lend her helping hand to me!**


	5. A 'Slice' of Life

**Wow, would you look at that? I lied about posting in January. XD**

 **Just wanted to finish up this small explanatory arc before the new year, and this chapter is seriously the last one before the new year. It won't be as long as the last chapter, but it'll finish up the average day that our main protagonist here seems to have. So yeah, enjoy and stuff. :)**

 ** _Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon, and anything else mentioned in this story that is copyrighted as well._**

* * *

"...five plus ten minus forty-nine is...?"

I sighed, finishing up the last equation in the pamphlet that my math teacher had given out for homework. It wasn't too difficult, but it wasn't exactly that easy either. What really blows is that the math teacher always gives us a huge amount of math problems for homework. It takes about an hour, possibly two, to finish all of the homework assigned. I don't quite mind, since it's not like I have anything better I could be doing.

Finishing up, I packed up my homework and such into my bag for it to be ready for school tomorrow. Then, I hear my mother call me down for dinner.

"Francis!" She called from downstairs. "Dinner is ready!" I wondered what she had made tonight as I got up from my work desk.

When I got to the kitchen, I notice three packets of opened instant noodle containers in the trash, along with a few small flavor packages. And at that moment, I realized what was our 'dinner' this time.

I walk into the dining room to find both my mother and my brother sitting at the table, sipping and eating the noodles made from hot water and other artificial ingredients. My mother usually makes instant noodles if she's too tired to cook, or too busy to grab ingredients for a meal at the store. I don't mind at all, honestly. I love instant noodles.

"Sorry you two, I had no time to go out and buy ingredients after work today." My mother said, sighing as she then sipped some of her soup out of her bowl. Seemed like she had another tiring day at work, so I understood.

"So Francis, how was school? Do you have homework?" She said to me as I sat down at the table and nodded, stirring my bowl of instant noodles with my fork.

"Well, it was alright. Got lots of homework too, but I finished it already." I replied, and she nodded in satisfaction.

"Good. That's what you should be doing." She said to me, smiling a bit at me as she slurped up more noodles.

I would have told her about the idiots in my class who teased me, but I didn't feel the need to. They probably would have called me out for tattling on them later on. Besides, my teachers already know about them, and they're dealing with them already.

After a bit of stirring with my fork, I started eating my 'dinner', even if one doesn't consider it a healthy one. I don't blame my mother for being unable to cook a big meal like she used to. She gets paid at the end of every week, but she barely scrapes by with what she currently earns. Times are tough, since we don't have anyone but my mother working for money. I could go out and find a job, but that would mean my schooling would be interrupted, and my mother and I wouldn't want that at all.

Back then, my father would be getting us prize money from local tournament battles, since he was a professional fighter at the nearby gym. But now he's unable to make money for us since… the incident.

He was unable to defend himself that day… and I was too weak to help. I look over at the fourth chair at the table, which was empty. I thought back to that terrible day, which had etched into my memory.

The day my thirteen year-old self had to grow up.

 **(Flashback)**

 _I held my father's paw as we walked home together._

 _We had just went to watch a movie, something about a Mienshao who got a major injury during a big fight, and then he gets told by the doctors that he'll never be able to fight again. However, he goes and trains back up while recovering, and manages to beat the champion, who also was the guy who put him out of the spotlight. It was a pretty good movie, if you ask me. My dad took me to watch it, since he wanted me to take inspiration from the battles and fights in the movie. I had become really strong after all the training sessions my dad had given to me over the last two years. I wanted to be just like my father one day; a strong battler._

 _"Did you like that movie, Francis?" My dad said as we strolled down the street. He looked down at me, smiling. I nodded, looking up at him with small grin. I wonder if he was proud that his pupil, his son, had taken the lessons and advice of the training and become a stronger youth._

 _"Yeah, definitely." I replied to him. "I really enjoyed seeing that movie, dad." He nodded as we kept walking. He pat my head softly, chuckling a bit._

 _"Heh, I'm glad you did. After all I've taught you, you've definitely become a great battler." He said, complimenting me as he was scratching behind my ear. I giggled softly, while blushing a little. Though, my father's expression changed to a look of concern._

 _And with that, he suddenly stopped walking. Confused, I stopped and looked up at him._

 _"Dad?" I asked, looking quizzically at him. He didn't answer me. Instead, he turned to look behind us. He now had a stern look on his face. His serious face. My eyes followed to the same direction my dad was, and I saw who he was looking at._

 _I saw a cheetah standing a few feet away down the sidewalk, joined by three Machoke. Huffing, my father properly turned to face the likes of them, irritated._

 _"Do you lot need something?" He asked with venom in his voice, calling out to them. I was, for the first time in a good while, afraid. I was unsure of why my father would need to use such a harsh tone with them. Were they bad? Did my dad know them? I saw the cheetah frown from where I was, standing behind my dad._

 _"Oh tsk tsk, Jury." The cheetah started, seemingly calling my father by his first name. "Don't act like you didn't do anything wrong. We're not the ones who are bad or anything." My father didn't seem to believe this guy._

 _"Hmph, is that so?" He huffed a bit. "Let me ask you again; do you need something from us?" I could see my dad was getting a bit agitated. He growled at them._

 _"Look, we don't want any trouble.." My father started to say, but the cheetah interrupted him._

 _"Well, that last and most recent battle you won? It was a match you weren't supposed to win. Why did you decide to go off script?" He questioned deviously, a smirk appearing on his face. My father's angry gaze faltered, as if he realized something. This guy mentioned that my father shouldn't have won the last battle he was in, and something about a script. What did he mean by that?_

 _"Tch… so that's what this is about." My father said, sighing. His expression seemed to soften and he looked at him with a calm expression for a moment. Soon, after a bit of silence between them and my dad, my father smirked._

 _"I'm just trying to do the right thing here. Don't you believe in that?" he asked him, looking quite confident. The cheetah huffed a little, but their expression changed as well._

 _"Well, sure. However… sorry, Jury." The cheetah said, shaking his head. "You're being laid off, permanently."_

 _As soon as the cheetah said that, the three Machoke with him charged straight at my dad. My dad thought fast and quickly pushed me off to the side, thinking of my safety. I yelped out in surprise as I stumbled backwards, tripping slightly. Being startled, I then went and hid behind a nearby car to watch what was happening._

 _My father was taking on the three Machoke all at once, blocking and dodging every attack they threw his way. With every one of their attacks, my dad countered with seemingly twice as much power. Clearly, the three were almost evenly matched for him. My dad was winning that fight._

 _Then, I heard a voice. Something as small as a mere whisper, but it was a dark voice. I then realized; right behind me._

 _"You must be his son. How...adorable." The cheetah said to me, giggling to himself as he pat my shoulders slightly. I turn my head in surprise to see the cheetah staring at me, a wide grin on his face._

 _He wore a dusty black leather jacket and black jeans. His eyes, however… they were what scared me the most. They were completely blacked out, and only a white dot replaced his pupil. I was utterly terrified._

 _In my defense, I quickly used Low Kick on him so I could run away. I heard him grunt a bit._

 _"Ouch, get back here, you twerp!" He growled at me as he quickly recovered and got right back up. My attack had worked, but he was still on my tail, quite literally._

 _In an attempt to get away from him, I ran into a nearby alley as he chased me. To my demise, I couldn't find a place to hide before he finally caught up to me. I was backed up against a wall, as he slowly made his way up to me. I was utterly terrified, but I somehow took a fighting stance. With every step he took towards me, he seemed to laugh. I shuddered in fear._

 _"Are you scared, boy?" He asked me in a mere whisper. He took out a sharp object, a knife, from a pocket in his jacket. He had a sadistic grin on his face. I shuddered in terror and fell backwards onto my behind. I crawled back as he got closer. I was panicking, I didn't know what to do._

 _"D-don't hurt me! Please!" I pleaded to him, crying out in fear. He scoffed as he raised his shank in the air with his paw._

 _"You're out of luck, kid!" He said, laughing as he then went to slash the knife downwards at me. I shielded myself with my arms and yelled in fear, thinking it was the end._

 _But… it never came. The cheetah's blade never hit me. I looked up, and I was shocked to see my dad now going one-on-one against the cheetah. Seems like he dispatched all of the Machoke._

 _"Don't touch my son!" My father exclaimed to him, gritting his teeth as he took a battle stance. The cheetah chuckled at him._

 _"Heh, aaaand what if I do~?" He said in a sort of a mocking tone. My father had enough of his talking._

 _"Then you'll surely regret it!" He yelled at him, as he charged forward and used Close Combat, his rapid strikes being thrown in the cheetah's direction at a fast pace. However, upon further realization, I saw the cheetah was dodging his attacks, seemingly faster than usual, possibly having used Agility to help him speed up. He cackled as he evaded my father's attacks._

 _"Jury, you do know what happens when one uses Close Combat, right...?" The cheetah said, dodging more of my father's rapid punches and kicks. My father ignored his words, and used Mega Kick. Although the cheetah blocked this attack as well, he couldn't help but slide backwards from the pressure of the kick._

 _"You won't be talking when I break that maw of yours!" He exclaimed as he charged up a full-powered Hyper Beam. He created it in his palms with breakneck speed, and he blasted it directly towards the cheetah. I watched as the cheetah was caught in the blast and he was sent flying backwards into a pile of stacked boxes and garbage nearby._

 _I looked excited for my dad as I had thought my dad had won the fight. But in reality, I was dead wrong. I then saw the cheetah appear behind my dad somehow, as if he used the shadows to sneak up behind him. My expression changed from a look of happiness to a look of sheer horror. The cheetah had a big sadistic grin on his face as he stood behind my dad._

 _"D-dad, behind you!" I exclaimed to him. His face lit up, realizing exactly what was going on. My father quickly turned around to attack him, but the cheetah was too fast. He blocked my father's Mega Punch attack with one of his paws, and with his other paw, he used his knife to slash at my father's chest, and it connected. His shank ripped my dad's shirt and jacket, and blood spilt onto the ground. He yelled out in shock and pain as he then went on his knees, holding his chest and wincing. The cheetah cackled._

 _"Hah, you idiot." The cheetah said with a look of disappointment. "Your defense and special defense goes down when you use Close Combat! How could a professional like you be so… stupid." He cackled loudly as it started to rain. And it wasn't a light drizzle either, it was a harsh downpour._

 _I was shocked. I was… at that moment, I wasn't sure what I was feeling. But, the feeling was bubbling up in me. I felt it filling my thoughts and I couldn't control it._

 _The best way to describe it was anger. Pure anger._

 _"NOOOOOO!" I yelled out as I stood up, tears flowing down my face. The cheetah looked over at me, sighing._

 _"Put the child out of his misery, too." The cheetah said venomously to one of the Machoke that was still left. "Let him join his father." The Machoke nodded, and started to head towards me. I grit my teeth in anger as he slowly approached._

 _"I… I h-hate you!" I yelled out at them as I charged forward. Putting a bunch of aura and energy into my right paw, I gave the Machoke a firm uppercut to the jaw once I got close enough, and it was enough to make him stumble backwards. Using this chance, I boosted right back at him and I press my paw against his chest and used Force Palm on him, causing the Machoke to faint upon the impact of my attack. He fell backwards, shuddering from the power the Force Palm attack. I then heard the cheetah click his tongue._

 _"Finish him!" He exclaimed to the other Machoke that have recovered their stamina from my father's onslaught earlier. They both nodded in response and went right after me._

 _"You jerks will pay!" I yelled at them with my own venomous tone, as I charged up aura energy in both my paws. Once ready, I launched two Aura Sphere attacks directly at them, and they were both successful hits. Both Machoke were blown backwards, and they both hit nearby cars. I was sure I had knocked them unconscious._

 _I stood there as I panted in exhaustion. Though, I realized the fight wasn't over. I straightened myself up, and I looked around to see if that cheetah was still around here._

 _I then felt his presence behind me, and I turn to attack him. I launched my fist at him, using Mega Punch on him. However, he was just too fast for me._

 _He swings his knife at my left paw and I scream in both pain and anger getting cut by the blade. While I was in the moment of being injured, he swiftly kicked me right in the chest. I ended up tumbling backwards and falling over. As I struggled to get up, I held my hurt paw in pain. Blood leaked from the cut, dripping off my paw and onto the ground, tainting the puddles that had already formed from the rain a dark crimson colour._

 _As I looked down at my paw while I shivered from the pain and from the rain, I saw the cheetah stand in front of me. He got down to be at eye level with me, and used one of his paws to make me look up at him. His smile was unsettling, if not scary._

 _"I do commend your efforts to fighting back, child." He said to me softly, running his paw up my cheek. "But, I was asked to take care of any witnesses. I don't kill kids, but… ugh, just don't make this harder for me." He lost his smile at this point, now being somewhat nonchalant. He gripped his knife as he was getting prepared to stab me. I looked at him in both fear and anger. I couldn't defend myself, and so I accepted my fate. Closing my eyes, I awaited his shank._

 _But then, I heard sirens. Coming closer towards here. It was the police._

 _Opening my eyes, I could see that the cheetah had gotten up, growling to himself. He muttered something I couldn't hear, then he ran off. My guess is that he didn't want to be caught for what he just did. I looked at my paw, blood dripping from the wound. I winced as I started to breathe harder, gritting my teeth from the onslaught of rain droplets hitting me and my wound._

 _Then, I remembered something. My dad was slashed across the chest, and was presumably bleeding hard._

 _I struggled to get up, but once I did, I made my way over to my father's body. He was laid out on the ground, a puddle of rainwater and blood surrounding him. I went on my knees beside him and I shook him. He looked at me as his breathing was very slow. Blood dripped out of his mouth._

 _"D-dad… you're gonna be okay, alright? The police, they're here!" I stuttered as I shook him, tears beginning to pour down my face at a rapid pace._

 _"S-son… d-don't worry a-about me, o-okay?" He sputtered as he coughed up a bit of blood. I didn't care that his blood was getting on me, I just wanted him to stay alive._

 _"P-please… d-don't die! The hospital, the police, t-they'll help you!" I exclaimed to him as I shook him once more. I ripped my sweater off of myself and placed it over his wound with some pressure, in an attempt to stop his bleeding. He put a paw over mine, and although it was a grim one, he gave me his reassuring smile to me._

 _"Son… F-Francis… you must stay s-strong… f-for me… " I gripped his paw tightly, as lightning flashed across the sky. I began to get hysterical._

 _"N-No! Y-you c-can't die!" I started to sob. I shook him more, gripping his paw. His looked at me with his reassuring smile for a bit longer._

 _But then, his smile faltered. He closed his eyes. And lastly… his arm fell limp._

 _I looked down at him as my eyes widened. I tried to shake him a few times. No response from him. I sobbed even harder._

 _"F-father? Father! Father?!" I yelled at him, trying to get him to wake up. I kept trying to shake him, but to no avail._

 _He died. Father… he had died._

 _"NNNGAAAAHHH!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, sadness and anger filled in my voice. I shut my eyes shut and clamped my paws into fists so hard that they started bleeding, crimson liquid spilling onto the wet ground. Rain poured out of the sky fast and hard, just like the tears flowing down my cheeks._

 _I kept up my yelling for a while, even when my voice had given out moments later. After a bit, the authorities had come and found me. Alone. Sobbing in the rain._

 _After we buried him, I was scarred for life. Physically, and mentally._

 _And several weeks after, the police had caught that cheetah. He, along with several others, were accused of several murders and battle tournament fixing, where they always bribed for a winner to be set before the matches even happened. My father was trying to fight the system._

 _But the system fought back, and he was killed for it._

 **(End Flashback)**

I sniffed a bit, finishing my soup up. Wiping away my tears before anyone could notice, I can never help but think I could have done more in that moment. But alas, it's simply too late to be blaming myself now.

I was certainly not the same after that happened. It's one of the reasons why I can have problems talking and socializing with my friends and other peers. I had to become mature myself, and make myself an adult. It's why I try my hardest in school and be good, just to not give my mother a hard time. It is only her working, after all.

I got up, and went to take everyone's dirty dishes, plates and cutlery.

"I'll wash dishes today, if that's fine with you." I said somewhat quietly, but my mom still heard me. She nodded.

"Alright, thank you." She said as I then left to bring everything to the kitchen sink.

After I finished washing the dishes and stuff, I opted to sleep early today.

I went up the stairs to brush my teeth, and doing what everyone usually does in the bathroom before they would go to bed.

Soon, I walked into my room and sighed. I sat on my bed for a moment and did some thinking. Did I finish all my homework? Check. Practice a bit of piano? Yep.

To me, I've done everything I should have.

I leaned over and turned my bedside lamp off, slipping into my bed. I quickly hooked up my phone to my charger and plugged it into the outlet next to my bedside table. I got comfy on my bed, and began to doze off.

So yeah, to sum it up? That's a day in my usual life.

And for those who had no darn clue what I was just reciting for the past 5 chapters, my average day goes on like this: I wake up, I have some sort of interaction with my brother, I eat breakfast, I go to school, I learn about something, I hang out with my friends, I eat lunch, I learn some more, I leave school, I do homework and chores, I eat dinner, and then I go to bed.

Long list, am I right?

But hey, I always think my routine would be repetitive. That is… until another life-changing thing happens. But I doubt that'll happen anytime soon.

...or will it?

* * *

 **DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUN! :o**

 **Ahem, well then...that was quite a dark chapter. Don't worry, it'll get happier! Eventually. XD**

 **See ya on the flip side, aka: 2017. See ya!**

 **Edit: We'll be getting into the real plot of the story next chapter. These first five were probably character showcasing and stuff, which is just me showing you how the main character and how all of his friends/family associate with him. It's a sort of filler, I suppose. Get ready for the "life changing" events to happen to our protagonist! :)**

 **Edit 2: Bam, rewritten and ready for reading. Thanks to Chloe for another wonderful beta-read.**


	6. Actions of a Heroic Fox and Grem

**Hey there, guys! Welcome to Chapter 6; where the world of Francis and his friends will change to become an adventure that will have it's funny moments, it's dramatic moments, it's heartbreaking moments, and more! All in one story!**

 **Happy New Year, all! It's about time we get out of the crappy year we call 2016 and we start a new and better year! People better not be dying as much as 2016. Seriously, it's kinda sad. XD**

 **Btw, I'm very excited to introduce some new characters into the story. They'll have quite an impact on our favorite protaganist's life!**

 **Anyways, enough ranting! Let's get right into this chapter!**

 _ **Disclaimer: I don't own anything in this story except my OCs, my plot points, my ideas, and anything that can be found in my brain. Also, the story is rated "T", so you should probably leave if your age is lower than the**_ _ **equired age, unless you really don't care. You rebel, I like you. But just in case, this story has/will start to have blood and gore-ish moments. Reader discretion is advised.**_

* * *

 _Oh, hello there. I didn't expect you to return to this story._

 _You see, my life was really starting to get boring, with my routine getting very repetitive and constant. It was do this and do that, day in and day out. The day that I had explained throughout the last few chapters, all had happened a few weeks ago. I had thought I'd be stuck in a loop, being bored in school for the rest of my life._

 _That is, until this day came._

Fast forward to the present day, and here I am, doing what I was usually doing on a school day.

I groaned quietly in boredom as I waited for my turn to grab food at the cafeteria. My mother had forgotten to make me a lunch today, since she had to work overtime at her job. Due to that, it required for me to use up some of my extra emergency money to buy myself a burger or something. I could only get so much with 6 dollars and 60 cents anyways.

I tapped my foot… er, paw against the floor as the line moved forward slowly. Seems to me that the people ahead of me were dawdling or fooling around, considering how loud the front of the line seemed to be. It surprises me how many students go to buy the cafeteria food when it's known for how bad it can be. It's funny, cause I always hear someone complain about the school's food being terrible and then the next thing I know, I see them lining up at the cafeteria.

Eventually, I got to the front of the line and ordered myself a normal burger and fries. Considering I brought a bottle of water from home, I didn't really need to buy a drink, even if I sorta did want to get one. Like, I kinda wanted to buy myself a can of Root Beer from the vending machine, but Amy had been telling me that the machine was a 'stupid piece of junk that steals your money'. Remembering her words, I decided to be wise and not buy a drink from the vending machine, and simply walked by it.

After a bit of looking and walking, I eventually found my friends table and I sat down. Bryce and Alice were already here, eating their food.

"Hey Francis." Bryce greeted, glancing over to me. "No packed lunch today?" Bryce was the first to acknowledge my appearance, since Alice was busy reading manga from Full Metal Alchemist. I nodded to him.

"My mom had to work overtime, so she didn't get the chance to make our lunches." I explained, and he responded with a nod of his own while he took a bite out of a pizza slice that he had cooked himself at his house. I would be able to make my own lunch if I knew how to work a stove. My mother still thinks I'd burn myself trying to make a simple peanut butter and jelly sandwich, or even during the process of pouring cereal into a bowl.

Eventually, I realized that there was a lack of a certain tough Flygon at our table.

"Hey, where's Amy at today? Is she sick or something?" I asked the two at my table, and Alice put down her manga carefully, taking a quick sip from her milk carton.

"Amy ain't sick, she had some gym trip to go to today. She is in the school's professional battling team, after all. I wouldn't worry about her though. She's really tough!" She answered, giving a bright smile.

"Right, that makes sense. She's the most sporty out of our group." I replied to her, nodding. She smiled with glee, seemingly happy to pass on information as she then went back to her reading. She was right about that, though. Amy was definitely the toughest out of all of us. Even though I would consider myself capable of defending myself, it doesn't really mean that I'm able to lift a heavy amount of weight, even while using a move like Strength. Amy, however, probably could.

I took a bite out of my burger, and sighed in dissatisfaction. It wasn't the best in the world, but it was somewhat edible. I could see Alice had ordered something similar, but with onion rings instead of fries with the burger. Bryce had his homemade pizza, like mentioned before. He knows how to cook, unlike yours truly.

After a bit of a silence between the three of us, I decided to speak up, just to make the mood a little bit less quiet.

"So… uh… anything happened today?" I said, sounding a little awkward. I hated when I did that. Alice then spoke up in response to my question.

"Well, I heard we have new students in the school! They're around somewhere, but I heard they're in our gym class!" Alice mentioned, seemingly looking excited to meet these new students.

That got me interested. New students? Maybe I can befriend them before they join the side where all the bullies and all of them stood.

Unless of course, they're already like that. I quickly shook that thought out of my head, just so it doesn't bother me any longer.

"Oh? Sounds interesting. Maybe we'll meet them later." I said, responding to Alice's answer, and she nodded happily, agreeing with me.

"Hopefully they ain't assholes. I'd hate to add another person to my 'stay the fuck away from' list." Bryce said, and we all laughed. However, I'm sure we all hoped that it wasn't like that. I wonder what Amy would have thought about these new students.

We continued to eat our food while we moved our topic to other things like a certain project that was due for a class, or if anyone had any crushes. In terms of that, I really don't have a crush on anyone, other than a bit of a spot for Alice. Although, I doubt that she sees me more than just a friend, so I don't want to test my luck and ruin our friendship.

Also, after swearing to Bryce that me and Amy wouldn't tell anyone, we found out that he had apparently found a crush on a wolf in his science class. He said her name was Kayla, and that she had these emerald-colored eyes.

"She's absolutely stunning, I'm telling ya!" He told us while looking like he was in a trance, staring dreamily as he zoned out. I'm sure he was lovestruck. Alice giggled, finding it adorable that Bryce had found a crush. I only hoped that Kayla was interested in Bryce.

"What about you, Alice?" I questioned, looking her way. "Do you have any sorts of crushes around here?" She looked at me as she shook her head.

"Eh, not really. No one really interests me." Alice said absentmindedly, shrugging as she answered my question. To my surprise, she was very calm about it.

As I finished my food and went to get up to throw my trash out, my paw clipped the seat's table and I ended up falling over, crashing onto the ground with a loud thud.

"O-owch!" I yelled out in pain, grunting a bit. I could hear Alice and Bryce moving out of their seats to help me up.

"Goodness, are you alright?" Alice asks me worried as she assists Bryce in lifting me up and making me sit down at the table once more. I groan a bit, rubbing the part of my snout that hit the ground first. Glancing over, I saw Bryce's eyes had widen a little, realizing something as he looked at my snout.

"D-dude! Your nose is bleeding!" Bryce exclaimed, pointing at my snout as blood dripped out of my nose. That was when I had noticed that my nose was in fact bleeding. I quickly sprang up and swore to myself, running off to the washroom to get cleaned up before it got all over me. Luckily, the washrooms were across from the cafeteria, so it wasn't a long trip to get there.

Once I made it to the washroom, I immediately bolted to the nearest sink. I turned on the tap with a paw and let the water flow, then started to clean off the blood from my paws and snout, using both water and soap.

After a couple of minutes, the bleeding had finally ceased, and I dried my paws off using the dryer that hung off the wall. I sigh, shaking away the embarrassing thought of falling in the cafeteria.

However, as soon as I walk out of the bathroom, someone runs into me, causing the both of us to fall onto the ground. I could hear books and pencils hitting the ground as well, meaning that the person must have dropped them upon our impact.

"A-ah! Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry!" The voice was feminine, and I got up and went to help her with the stuff she had dropped.

"N-no no! It was me, I s-should have been more careful!" I replied with clear nervousness, stuttering as I spoke. I managed to get a glance at what she looked like, and I may have done a double take.

She was a sort of feline, her fur being as white as snow. She wore a sort of dress shirt that was coloured pink, with a skirt that matched that. The fur on her head was somewhat long, but it was pulled back into a ponytail at the back of her head. Although that was there, some of her fur went down onto her shoulders. It looked pretty fuzzy, I'll say that. She also had a small pink bow attached around her tail, and it was so cute how it just swayed as she picked up her books and other supplies.

Suddenly, she realized I was staring and she got flustered. I blushed from embarrassment.

"U-um… h-here, s-sorry for staring." I quickly gave the books and pencils back to the unknown feline, and she quickly nodded.

"Sorry, I… was in a hurry and I didn't know where I was going." She spoke softly as she gave an apologetic look, and I kinda felt bad. I shook my head no, just to show her it wasn't her fault.

"Hey, don't worry, alright? I-it's fine, seriously! I'm sure you had somewhere important to go to, which was why you were rushing, no?" I said with good intent. She nodded her head, and I understood.

"M-meow, okay then… u-uh… s-see ya around, fox!" She spoke quickly, then ran past me, running down the hall almost as fast as she spoke beforehand. I scratched the back of my head, feeling an unusual feeling in my chest. It felt… fuzzy. And warm inside.

Was this how it felt to have a crush? I wasn't sure, but I had a feeling that I would see that cat another time once more. But when? I wasn't so sure.

I then returned to the table where Alice and Bryce sat at, and they asked if I was alright.

"What happened?" Alice was the first to ask, and I gave a curt nod in return.

"Just went to the washroom to stop the bleeding and to wash off the blood from my paws and snout." I said sheepishly, scratching the back of my neck embarrassingly.

"You know, we could have brought you there, silly!" Alice said, sighing as she shook her head dismissively.

Alice was the type of person who worries about me, but she finally calmed down after hearing my reasoning. We finally got back to eating and talking about various other topics after that.

All good times must come to end, however, as the school bell was going to ring soon. That meant that we all had to get to class. We would see each other again at the last period of the day, which was gym class. Not a favorite, that's for sure. But exercise is good for your physical health, right?

Just like any other day, art class was a usual boredom fest for Bryce and I, since we were able to do what we wanted to do, once again. We decided to continue our sketching.

Soon enough, the school bell rang, and Bryce and I set off to gym class. However, I would never have guessed what I would be doing next period in that said gym class.

When we got to the gymnasium, we met up with Alice and sat on the bleachers to await our teacher's arrival. He was a wolf, and we called him Mr. Fritz. Although he happened to be very strict with a few things he teaches us in this class, he's really a kind guy. One time, he gave this student money to be able to take the bus home when he forgot his ticket. He really has a kind soul, if you ask me.

Once he finally came into the gymnasium, I saw someone was walking behind him. I could tell this being was female, but… it was something I had never seen before. I recall seeing this kind of animal before, but it was rare, as stated in sorts of history books and such.

It was an animal called a 'grem'. Okay, I know what you're thinking. I'm sure you're wondering what a grem could possibly be. Well, I'll describe it as best I can.

A grem is a sort of species that they, due to their appearance, may think they are a fox or a fennec. The reasoning is that grems have the same, long ears like a fennec would, and the same fluffy tail like a fox would. Sort of like mine, you could say. They also adorn small spots on various areas of their bodies, making them have another appearance, such as a deer.

Also, if I remember correctly, they have some similarities of a reptile, such as their necks and snouts. They might also have the teeth of a canine, as well. And with that, they are capable of purring like a cat would.

All in all, a grem is a sort of hybrid species between foxes and fennecs, deer, reptiles, canines, and cats. It's very interesting, and I've never gotten the chance to meet such a wonderful species before, until now at least.

Mr. Fritz then got everyone's attention by blowing his whistle.

"Alright, settle down, class! We have two new students that will be joining us for the rest of this semester! Though… I'm not exactly sure where the other one is." He briefly scratched his chin, looking around to see if he could find the second student. He shook his head when he couldn't find them, and then went back to speaking.

"Ahem, anyways… this is Tina." He motioned his paw toward the hybrid standing next to him. The grem, now known as Tina, waved somewhat timidly, making me think she was feeling extremely nervous in front of a bunch of new people.

"H-hey there… e-everyone." She spoke softly, and you could tell by the tone of her voice that she felt nervous. Not that I have anything against that, of course!

Some of the students, at least, the ones who were paying attention to the teacher, greeted Tina with a friendly smile and a wave of their paw or claw, trying to make her feel as welcome to the new school as possible. She curtly nodded her head in return, and then went to take a seat at the bottom of the bleachers, where there was no one around her. She reminds me of myself for some reason. Maybe because since she just came here, she doesn't have any friends yet.

I decide to make a mental note to become her friend later on.

I took a quick look at her, just to see her appearance a bit better now that she's somewhat closer. Her fur was a dark purple, and her deer markings and spots were a sort of pinkish color. She wore a black t-shirt, along with simple white pants. It makes me wonder if her taste in clothing is as simple as mine is.

Suddenly, someone barges into the gymnasium in a rush. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned around, staring into the direction of the gymnasium entrance. I immediately recognized the snow white fur of that said person as she came in.

It was the girl from the hall, the one who had accidentally bumped into me.

"So sorry I'm late!" She panted heavily, as she ran up to the coach. Almost every student flinched at her sudden outburst as they watched her trying to catch her breath. She must have ran from her previous class to the gymnasium, if she looked pretty exhausted.

Mr. Fritz turned to look at her for a brief moment, and checked the list of students on his clipboard. He then cleared his throat.

"Alright class, our second student is here! Say hello to Niku." So, that was her name! Anyways, she didn't seem to look as nervous as Tina was when it came to introductions. She stood up straight, and her bubbly personality had immediately come to life.

"Mrow, hello there!" She smiled brightly, her tail swaying side-to-side. It was pretty cute, if you ask me.

Bryce had noticed that I had been looking at Niku for quite a while now, and he nudged my arm to catch my attention.

"You got a crush on that cat, Francis?" He chuckled, and I immediately blushed, shaking my head. I was completely denying what he was trying to imply.

"W-what?! No, I… I-I don't!" I retorted, but stuttered pretty badly. Good going, Francis. Now Bryce is going to tease me about that from now on.

He chuckled some more, then leaned in, whispering something to me.

"Don't worry, I'll keep it a secret." I blushed a bit harder, and I think I started to pout.

"Hush it, you." I mumbled, peeking at my German Shepherd friend from the corner of my eye. I was not going to enjoy this at all.

After the introductions of the two new students, Tina and Niku, were made, Mr. Fritz had told us that we were able to spend the time doing whatever we'd like to do, as long as we weren't sitting around on the bleachers.

And yet, Mr. Fritz himself sat on the bleachers, reading something off of the clipboard he always seems to be holding in his paws.

Despite that, there I was, going one-on-one with Bryce in basketball match. We were both sweating profusely from the intense game, trying to steal the ball from one another as we ran from one end of the gymnasium to the other, dribbling the familiar orange and black ball and trying to shoot a goal at our specific net.

However, Bryce had surprisingly won the game. You'd think that, because I've spent the last couple of years training, I would be great at sports?

Well, you thought wrong. I'm quite terrible at sports, and that's a known fact. It's quite funny isn't it?

"Looks like I seem to be the winner of this match. Are you surprised, Francis?" Bryce chuckled as he attempted to shoot a three pointer, but he missed the net by a long shot. I nearly chuckled at my friend's failed attempt, despite being the one who had lost, but immediately kept my cool as he turned towards me.

"I guess so, yeah." I spoke, trying not to become salty over it. I hated feeling like a sore loser, and it wasn't the time to feel that way. Bryce is my best friend, and this was just a fun match, after all.

However, Bryce seemed to have noticed, and placed a paw on my shoulder comfortably.

"Come on now," he began, offering a reassuring smile. "We could always practice together sometime when we're both free. Who knows, you could end up being better than me afterwards."

I chuckled at my friend. His offer to practice the sport was really a nice one, and I don't think I'd pass an opportunity to spend some time with him outside of school.

"Sure, that sounds pretty great." I nodded my head, giving Bryce a smile in return.

Suddenly, I hear a commotion nearby that involved two people. I heard a somewhat agitated voice and a voice that nearly sounded terrified. I recognized it. I look in the direction of the source of the noise to see Niku, the cat girl from earlier, getting yelled at by a Charizard that anyone in the school would know too well.

This was Aaron, one of the school's meanest and toughest bullies. If Amy were here, she wouldn't let something like this happen. However… she wasn't here. Amy wasn't around to stop Aaron, as she usually was.

But they had the next best thing; me.

I had a terrible feeling in my gut, meaning whatever I was about to do was obviously a bad idea. Oh, this is a bad idea, Francis! I could hear my subconscious screaming at me.

I thought it was a bad idea too, but I just can't stand bullies.

So, even if I do get my ass kicked, it'll help somehow. Wanna know why? It'll help because it'll get Aaron's attention off of Niku and instead onto me! See? That's smart thinking, if you ask me.

I started to walk over to where Niku and Aaron were. As I approached them, I started to overhear what they were talking about.

"You shouldn't have bumped into me, girl! You spilt my drink all over me, and now you're gonna pay for that!" Aaron yelled, towering over her like a skyscraper. Niku cowered slightly, looking around frantically.

"M-mew, I-I didn't mean to, mrow!" She said in a small voice, clearly afraid of the Charizard.

Niku looked so afraid of Aaron, and I felt bad for her. Now was the time for me to step in and stop this.

"Stop right there, you bully!" I exclaimed in a loud-enough voice for him to hear.

At that moment, I realized that when I said that, it sounded a lot more feminine than I remembered. Turning to my right, I found I wasn't the only one who said the exact same line. I saw Tina, and she had a very annoyed look on her face. Did she have the same ideals about bullies as I did?

If she did, then it certainly shows that she cares a lot of other people, much like I do.

Aaron looked up and over at us. He stared for a moment and then scoffed, turning away from Niku and turned to face both me and Tina. He laughed at us, as if he were trying to mock us. I'll admit, I flinched a bit. Tina, however, didn't falter like I did. She stood there, unafraid of Aaron. A look of a determination on her face, unlike my wimpy, nervous look.

"Heheh! Aww, would you look at that? A pipsqueak and a girl think they can defy me." Aaron said in a mocking tone, acting as if we were ants compared to him. Out of the corner of my eye, I could visibly see Tina bare her teeth and letting out a growl. She did indeed had the teeth of a canine, like I remembered. However, regardless of my nervousness, I was the first to speak up, even if I did sound a bit wimpy, and cheesy for that matter.

"Y-you can't be bullying people like that, Aaron! D-don't make us take you down!" I yelled out to him, clenching one of my paws into a fist and looking at him fiercely. Tina then looked at me with a look of confusion. I guess she didn't expect me to say something like that. Making threats against a strong guy like Aaron was practically suicide.

Especially when Aaron seemed to appear much stronger than the both of us combined.

"Ohoho, the pipsqueak is making threats now? You'll regret that, fox boy!" He cackled as he charged up an attack, which is Fire Blast. You could see what looked like the shape of a star appear, but flamed formed it. It grew bigger as he focused on his move, and then launches the attack, sending it flying towards my direction.

I didn't anticipate how fast it would come at me, so I didn't think to dodge. But just as I thought I would have gotten hit by it, someone tackles me to the side to save me from being hit.

It was Tina, saving my furry hind from being burnt to a crisp. She helped me up, then spoke to me.

"Look. Are you alright? If so, I hope you're willing to fight. If you're gonna be useless, leave this to me then!" She said to me without hesitation, and I quickly shook my head no, hoping to get my point across that I wouldn't be a burden.

"N-no, I can help! I got us into this mess, and the least I can do is help." I said as I gave her a determined look, and she nodded.

"Fine. I hope you're capable of combat." She replied, and I quickly nodded as I got up, adjusting myself to face Aaron, who had a very smug smile on his face. I growled, getting into a fighting stance that I had adapted for myself.

Tina, who moved to stand beside me, got into a fighting stance of her own. It seemed to me that her stance was more defensive than mine.

We both faced Aaron, and we both had the same objective in mind; stop the bully.

* * *

 **Oh boy, don't we just love cliffhangers? Well, it isn't really a cliffhanger. Not at all! It's just...we're getting into a very intense scene next chapter. :P**

 **Thats all from me this time, folks! Remember, this is a start of 2017 and it's simply the start of this story! I'm excited that I've gotten the first arc of this story started! :D**

 **Until next time, everyone. Peace! :)**

 **Edit: Hey there, it's Present-Day Floofs coming to say that this chapter has been rewritten by not just yours truly, but also Chlooepm as well! Go find her on the site, she writes great stuff. :3**


	7. A Clash of Fiery Proportions!

**Hi, welcome back to the story! Let's start Chapter 7 right away, just so I don't interrupt the upcoming action that is about to unfold!**

 _ **Disclaimer: This story is rated "T". I also don't own anything that has to do with Pokemon or anything else that I mention that seems to be copyrighted. The only things that are mine are the majority of the OCs shown in this story.**_

* * *

Here I stood, facing one of the strongest students in the school.

Aaron held one of the most smuggest look on his face that I had ever seen from him. It's as if he thinks he'll easily run through us. He'll get what's coming to him for scaring Niku like that. That is... if he doesn't pummel us, or at least me, first. Tina then turned her head to look at me, a look of seriousness on her face.

"So, what's the plan?" She asked quickly, and as I turned to look at her, I got a bit nervous.

Turns out, I didn't actually have a plan. I mentally face palmed myself at that.

"Um...I didn't really think this through, did I?" I said a bit meekly, scratching the back of my head. She groaned and shook her head in a disapproving manner.

"Come on, really? Didn't you realize we would be in for a fight the moment you interrupted him?" Tina questioned as she looked at me with an annoyed expression. I chuckled nervously.

"Oh c'mon, do you have a plan?" I asked, and she smirked a little. It reminded me of how Amy could smirk at times.

"I do, actually," she said, scratching her chin. "Just distract him for a moment, I'll take care of the rest!" I exhaled to get the nervousness out of me, and I nodded to her, showing her a look of determination.

"Alright, not a bad plan!" I said to her as I left Tina's side to charge at Aaron.

"Not like you had a plan, idiot!" I heard her retort from behind me. I would have joked around longer, but this ongoing fight would require my full attention and I shouldn't get distracted.

I charged right at him, putting energy into my paws so I could charge up an Aura Sphere attack. Once I was close enough, I launched the sphere of energy directly at him. It hit him perfectly, a direct hit. However… once the smoke cleared from the attack's impact, it seemed as if my attack barely put a scratch on him.

"Haha, is that the best you can do, pipsqueak?" He exclaimed with an overconfident grin as he then went to use Metal Claw on me. He boosted himself forward using his wings and he swung his extended glowing claws to slash me. I swiftly jumped back to avoid his attack. I could have sworn he may have cut off a centimeter of fur off of my head. He was fast, I'll give him that.

I stumbled backwards so he could keep away for the time being, realizing that he was indeed as tough as Amy had said he was in the past. I grit my teeth, exhaling once more. Tina had said that she needed distraction, so that was what I was gonna deliver to him. Looking back, however, I didn't know where she had went now, since she disappeared from the place she was before. Hopefully she hadn't just ditched me in an effort to get away.

Shaking away the thought, I kept telling myself what I needed to do, and that was to distract Aaron. I wasn't going to be giving up anytime soon.

I charged at him once more, with multiple copies of myself appearing on either side of me. I was really hoping that using Double Team would confuse him. I noticed his eyes were gazing left and right, seemingly trying to figure out which copy was the real me.

However, even though I saw his cocky smile falter for a moment, he didn't seem scared at all. It's as if he had figured it all out.

"Hah! Did you really think that this technique of yours was going to confuse me?" He taunted, a smirk appearing on his face. He then used Fire Spin, causing a large vortex of fire to surround him, causing most of my copies to disappear once they have touched the flames.

Aaron had also managed to send a ring of fire towards me and the remaining of my copies, but I immediately moved out of the way before the fire got to me. However, those few remaining copies of me had disappeared upon impact with the flames, and I soon realized that the Charizard knew that I was the original one.

"There you are, pipsqueak!" He growled and rose into the air by a few feet, using the wings on his back. His wings were glowing white as he flapped them, sending a few blades of wind towards me. My eyes widened at the sudden move Aaron was using, it was Air Slash.

It was a flying type move, and I knew that it was super effective against a fighting type like me. I knew I wasn't able to dodge the oncoming attack, because I could feel the heat from the vortex of fire that stood behind me.

The only thing I could do, at this point, was take the attack, and hoping I would be strong enough to endure the super effective move.

And that's what happened. The Air Slash attack was successful, and the blades of wind had hit me on the chest and shoulder, sending me flying backwards, through the flames, and my back then collided against the gymnasium wall. I cried out in pain as I fell into the ground, feeling my fur, skin, and clothing burning from the Fire Spin.

I groaned, struggling to get up while Aaron laughed at me as he finally set himself on the ground. I lifted my head up, my eyes glaring towards his direction as I grit my teeth in anger. Once I got up to my feet, I threw my somewhat battered and burned sweater off to the side.

Placing my paw on my shoulder, I winced in pain. I knew that the Air Slash attack had done loads of damage on me, and the effect of Fire Spin had worsened my condition. That, as well as colliding with the wall behind me, had upped the damages dealt.

As I looked around me, I could notice some other students staring towards our direction, mouths gaped open from the action going on. But, it wasn't what I was worried about at that moment. I couldn't help but to think...

Where did Tina disappear to?

My worries were suddenly washed away, because I could now see where she had went. Tina had appeared behind him somehow, as if she had been hiding in his shadow. That move looked very familiar to me, like I've seen it once before. It looked a lot like Shadow Sneak, but I couldn't be too sure. Could she be a ghost type?

Tina pressed her paws together, a dark sphere of aura forming itself in between them. That move was recognizable; it was Shadow Ball. Once she had charged up enough energy into it, she launched it at Aaron's back with a successful hit. The surprise attack had caused him to groan as he stumbled forward, falling flat on to his face.

I may have looked just as surprised as Aaron was when he was hit by Tina's Shadow Ball. She really looked like she was powerful, and because of my help, she was able to strike an attack on him unsuspectedly.

Tina looked down at him, palm of her hand facing the fire type that's still laying on the gymnasium ground. Another dark sphere of aura had begun forming.

"Who's laughing now, you bully?" She said, launching the charged up Shadow Ball, and it got repetitive as multiple dark spheres were hitting Aaron's back. For a moment, it seemed that her attacks were working.

...that is, until he got back up, blocking her incoming attacks.

"Alright, new girl. You're gonna get it now!" He growled, his jaws opening up, and you could notice that, in the back of his throat, a small flame had begun to grow. He was preparing a Flamethrower attack and, once all charged up, launched his attack at her.

I watched as Tina swiftly dodged his attack, but then he somehow managed to use Fire Spin while continuing to throw flames at her. Tina ran into the Fire Spin attack, and she winced as she took the hit, fur and clothes smoking.

That was when I realized, I had to stop staring at the battle and get in there to help her out.

I ran towards Aaron, using the strength in my legs as a momentum to jump into the air, allowing me to tower over the Charizard.

"Hey, Aaron! Over here, you pillock!" I called out, catching his attention. But, before he had the opportunity to turn around, I launched several Aura Sphere attacks at him, catching him off guard.

Once I got close enough to him, I used Close Combat, throwing several punches and kicks to his direction. You could hear him grunt with every blow I threw at him, but it almost looked like he seemed unfazed by them. Fighting type moves were not as effective on a flying type like he was, but I was sure that he was still dealing with some damage, nonetheless.

To finish off my series of attacks, I used Force Palm, pressing my paw onto his chest. A bright flash of light emitted from my paw, small sparks of electricity following. Aaron got pushed back with sheer force, making him fall backwards onto his back. I could hear him groaning in pain from the impact of the move.

I nodded to myself, satisfied with the combo I had done. Even if I'm at a type disadvantage against Aaron, he was still able to deal with some damage.

While Aaron laid there, completely stunned by the sudden action, I immediately ran to Tina's side. I held out my paw to her, offering to help her up. She stared at it for a few second, and placed her paw in my own. I hoisted her up gently, in hopes it wouldn't hurt her. She coughed a little bit, trying to get rid of the smoke that could've gotten trapped in her lungs.

"U-um… thanks for that. That combo wasn't too shabby." Tina said to me as she dusted herself off. I smiled a bit at her compliment, nodding my head curtly. It felt nice to hear a good comment from someone else. Tina looked over my shoulder, and spoke up once more.

"He's starting to get up right now. We'll have to find a way to bring this guy down. Got any ideas?" She asked, her gaze now focusing on me. I thought of what we could do that could possibly stop Aaron from attacking us, but I hadn't noticed that there were blades of wind coming my way. They hit my torso from a distance, and I fell backwards. I placed my paws over the spot I've been hit, wincing in pain. He had used the move Air Slash again.

I groaned from the pain, and with the help of Tina, I got up once again. The super effective move certainly hurt, but I couldn't let the pain stop me.

Turning my head to Aaron's direction, I grit my teeth in anger, paws clenching into fists.

"Hey, where's your honor?! Attacking me from behind like th-" I started to exclaim at him, but then he cut me off.

"Shut up! T-that's it! No more playing around! I-I'll finish the both of you, right now!" Aaron growled, and he launched several Fire Blast attacks towards us. I quickly made my way in front of Tina and used Protect, making a barrier for the both of us to hide behind. Tina growled in frustration, thinking of a plan.

"Good thinking, but we can't hide here forever. He'll keep barraging us with his Fire Blast attacks, and soon we'll be burnt to a crisp." Tina said, watching the green shield that protected us from the upcoming and ongoing barrage fire type moves. I made sure that my concentration was kept still, keeping my power and energy into the barrier. But, I could feel that it was slowly straining.

It will be destroyed soon, very soon. And that means having to come up with a plan immediately.

"This might sound like a weird idea, but what if we both attack him at the same time? We could combine some of our moves together, and he'll be dealing twice as much damage that way." I proposed, my paws slightly shaking from keeping the Protect barrier up. My energy was straining just as much now, and it was the only solution that came to mind.

I turned my head to look back at Tina, and I could tell that she was thinking it through. Luckily, she seemed to have made up her mind pretty quickly.

"I agree that it sounds weird, but I think that we'll be able to pull it off! Once the barrier is gone, we'll both use one of our strongest attacks and hit him head on."

As soon as she said that, the Protect barrier broke into thousands of pieces, and immediately disappeared. I panicked as I noticed flames heading our way and, without hesitation, I quickly used Counter on the upcoming attack. The Fire Blast attack collided with my paw, but it bounced back, heading to the other direction. It flew towards Aaron, and it hit him square in the face.

"Argh! W-what the hell?!" He yelled out, using his arms to clear the smoke that was in his face. He clearly was stunned by the unsuspected attack.

This would mean that it was now our chance to attack him, together.

"Alright, fox. You're up first!" Tina called out to me, and I nodded in response. I ran towards Aaron, my fist surrounded by a glow of aura, and quickly used Sky Uppercut on him. My fist had punched him under his jaw, and he was sent into the air.

Tina then somehow appeared above him. She must have used Shadow Sneak to make her presence unnoticeable, and it definitely worked. I couldn't see Aaron's face, but I'm pretty sure that his eyes must have widened when he caught sight of her.

"Take this!" She exclaimed, with a somewhat confident grin on her face. Her fist glowed white as she used Mega Punch, her fist colliding with his chest. The Charizard was sent flying back down to the ground, near me. It seems to me that Tina could be a fighting type as well, being capable of using that move so well.

That was when I realized that it was now my turn to attack. Once Aaron got back up on his feet and seemed to be within range, I ran towards him again, this time using Close Combat. I threw a couple of punches and kicks at him, and even switched to Mega Punch and Mega Kick from time to time, just to add more strength and give him more damage.

Finally, I pressed my paw against his chest, the white glow and sparks from electricity appearing once more, using Force Palm on him. Aaron got pushed back by the attack, flying across the gymnasium, until he landed at Tina's feet.

I looked shocked. How did Tina appear from the air to the ground so quickly? It made me wonder if she either a ghost type, a dark type, or a psychic type. It confused me as to how she was able to appear in different places at will.

Shaking away the thought, I watched as Tina had already begun her attack, before Aaron could even recover and get his claws on her. She threw several Bullet Punch attacks to his chest. Even though a steel type move has very little effect on a fire type like him, I could still hear him grunting or groaning with every hit he took. He had already taken loads of damage earlier on, and he'll just continue to do so until the battle is over.

She then connected her paws together, several dark purple rings surrounded by a dark aura was forming between them. She launched her Dark Pulse attack to finish off her combo, and he was sent flying back towards me.

Honestly, this battle nearly felt like a game of Hot Potato to me. He kept on being sent back and forth between Tina and I, each leaving us our turn to recover some energy, while the other attacks Aaron.

I was also very surprised at the teamwork that Tina and I were currently doing, trying to defeat Aaron in this battle. To me, it felt like we had done this before, almost like we were meant to be a team.

After sending Aaron back and forth between Tina and I, I had decided to finish off our combo with a big bang. Tina sent him towards me after hitting him with a Mega Punch attack and, as soon as he got close enough to me, I used another Sky Uppercut on him. My fist collided with the area under his jaw, sending him into the air.

I used a bit of aura to blast myself upwards towards him, and I launched another barrage of Mega Punch attacks at him. Every single one of my punches had hit him successfully, and, just as he was falling toward the ground, I quickly launched several Aura Sphere attacks at him.

To finish it off, I finally charged up all my energy into my paws and went to use Force Palm.

"This is what you get for bullying others, Aaron!" I exclaimed, and I press my paws directly in the middle of his chest. The blow had sent him crashing onto the gymnasium floor with a loud thud and a grunt.

I soon landed on the ground, trying to catch my breath. That last attack really took a lot of energy out of me, and I felt exhausted from the battle. I watched Aaron laying on the ground, eyes closed. I was really hoping that that was the end of it.

I noticed that Tina had appeared next to me, and I turned to look at her. She held a look that read success all over her face. I gotta admit, it was great to have a battle partner.

"Heh, it seems we did it, didn't we?" She asked, nudging my arm encouragingly. I nodded in response, giving her a reassuring but tired grin.

"We really did. That was one tough battle, but I'm glad it was a success on our part."

We then both noticed a figure with snow white fur running towards us. I recognized that it was Niku, and she held a look of delight and amazement on her face. Once she was close enough, she stopped in her tracks, gazing at the both us with a big smile.

"Thank you so much, you two, for saving me from that bully!" She exclaimed happily. Her tail was swaying side-to-side at a pace so fast, that I almost got dizzy from it at that moment.

I shook my head to keep my focus on Niku, and gave her a smile in return.

"H-heh, it was no problem at all, Niku. We were both happy to be able to help you out there." I replied, rubbing the back of my fuzzy head.

However, just as I was about to say something else, I saw something out of the corner of my eye, and it nearly terrified me.

Aaron had gotten back up, even after we had given him that huge onslaught of attacks! Then, I see him charge up a huge Fire Blast attack, and quickly hurling it in our direction. As it sailed closer, I realized it was heading straight for Niku.

"Niku, look out!" I exclaimed as I then pushed her off to the side, putting her out of harm's way. The attack reached me, and I got hit by the large blast of fire. I was sent flying backwards into the gymnasium wall once more, and I inevitably fell onto the floor. I groaned as my vision was spinning.

I was dizzy. Not only that, but I felt a huge burning sensation in my chest. It hurt. Stung, even. It was as if the inside of me was on fire, or I had eaten a bunch of peppers, except it was worse than being just hot or spicy. I sputtered and coughed, trying to get the smoke out of my lungs.

As I recovered, I felt someone grab me by my shirt and help me up. Once I got my bearings, I realized that Tina was the one who helped me up. She looked at Aaron in annoyance as she took a fighting stance once more.

"D-dammit, looks like he isn't done yet!" She exclaimed, growling and baring her fangs. I shook off my dizziness, but I couldn't shake off that burning feeling. I felt as if my energy was being drained slowly. I panted, taking in slow and deep breaths to try and reserve as much energy as possible.

I tried to move my left arm, but I then figured out that it was numb. It was as if I couldn't feel it at all. He definitely got me good this time.

"Not only do I feel like I'm burning down from the inside, but I also can't feel my left arm! Ain't that grand?" I said to Tina, chuckling a bit. She shook her head dismissively at my not so funny humor as she got into her proper stance again. I did so as well, but I was more protective of my numb left arm.

Looking over at the Charizard, I could see that he was wiping a bit of blood off a cut he got on his cheek. After looking at the blood on his claws, his face once again became plastered with his usual overconfident grin.

"H-heh… y-you really think teamwork will be able to stop me?" He yells at us, laughing hysterically. "Guess again, runts, cause you'll be toast after this next move!" He then inhales deeply, charging up another Fire Blast. However, when he launched it at us, I realized it looked three times bigger than usual. I heard Tina gasp beside me, realizing the same as I had.

"He's using that at full power! We need to hold it back somehow!" She stated, eyes widening as it flew right at us. I thought for a moment, hoping for any sort of idea to fly into my head. After a bit, I got an idea. Regardless of it being something very cliche, it could work.

"Hey… what if we push his attack back with another of the same magnitude?" I declared, looking at Tina. Her eyes lit up.

"Alright, let's try it." She replied to me, nodding. "What attack, though?" Aaron's attack was getting closer and closer, and I said the first move that came to mind.

"Use Aura Sphere! Quickly, before he demolishes the both of us!" I told her, and she nodded. Similar to how I would, she put her paws together and started to charge energy through them, starting to create a sphere of energy.

I started to do the same, but it was difficult to charge a proper Aura Sphere with my left arm out of the picture. In other words, I was disarmed, nearly feeling useless.

"Hurry up, fox! It's getting real close now!" Tina exclaimed to me, her Aura Sphere already looking twice as big as mine. I grit my teeth in frustration.

"Well s-sorry that Aaron made me unable to feel my left arm!" I retorted back, trying my hardest to charge up the sphere of energy with only one paw. Soon, the blast started to get really close, and that was when Tina called out for me to launch everything I had in my blast.

"Go! Do it!" She ordered, and launched her Aura Sphere alongside mine. Our attacks combined, and flew at Aaron's huge attack as a bigger Aura Sphere. Name it an Aura Blast, if you will. Our attack then connected with Aaron's, and they both clashed against each other. Both of the attacks looked like they were threatening each other, not wanting to back down. I did my best to launch more spheres of energy to keep our attack up. Tina did the same, launching bits of energy at our clashing blasts.

Eventually, Aaron's blasts, as well as our aura-filled blasts, exploded, causing everyone in the gymnasium to be blown away from the amount of pressure released. If no one had noticed the battle happening at this moment, they should have by now.

Although the attacks had gone away, the fight wasn't done yet. We saw that Aaron had gotten exhausted from it, and was currently stunned. I looked to Tina, and she nodded to me.

"Alright, let's go! We'll end this now!" She once again orders me, and I nod in response. We charged directly at Aaron together. Once we got close enough, Tina went at him first and brought him a few blows to the chest, using moves like Mega Punch and Dark Pulse, and even putting moves together to deal more damage against him. Just as I got close, she hopped out of the way.

"Go, finish him!" She exclaimed as I nodded to her, charging towards him. I boosted forward while using Agility, then pressed my paws against his chest for the last time, using Force Palm. I put all of the energy and aura I had into that one final attack.

He cried out loudly as he was sent flying across the gymnasium, and right into the wall. He didn't even fall down onto the ground, but instead he made a dent in it. He was stuck in the wall, which was clearly made out of some sort of stone material. I didn't think I was strong enough to do that much damage. However, it was definitely clear that he was down and out after that impact.

I took some deep breaths while turning to look at Tina. She gave me a proud smile and a thumbs up alongside that.

"I will admit that I had my doubts, but… hey, we came out in the end as victorious." Tina said, grinning from ear to ear.

"H-hah… y-yeah, indeed." I muttered, before I felt that burning feeling return, except it was much worse this time. I gripped my chest as I gasped, falling backwards. I felt someone, presumably Tina, catching me before I hit the ground.

I blacked out.

Later, I awoke to see that I was in a bed. I could visibly see Bryce, Alice, and Tina standing beside my bed and staring at me. Their expressions changed when they realized that I had awoken. I groaned, unsure of what happened after I blacked out.

"I… ugh… w-what happened? Where am I..?" They all looked at me with looks of thankfulness. Tina was the first to speak up.

"You blacked out after you gave that last attack to Aaron. I think you put all you had into that one attack. You collapsed, due to the extreme loss of energy, I think. That, and you were inflicted with burns to the chest. You're okay now, since the school's nurse gave you an antidote for that."

I rubbed my head. Honestly, I didn't think I was capable of doing that damage to one person. Especially Aaron, of all people. Bryce was next to speak up.

"Dude, you kinda scared me there. Didn't know what you were thinking, going up against Aaron like that. Thank Arceus that you're alright, man." I smiled a bit, assuring Bryce that I was indeed alright.

"H-heh… I'll be fine. Besides, I'm not one to be a bystander and let Aaron bully that new girl, Niku, or anyone, for that matter. A-and… if it weren't for Tina being there to help out, I'd probably be a toasted fox right now." Tina chuckled to that, and I'm sure she agreed.

Alice hadn't spoken a word since my awakening, but judging on her expression, I'm sure she was glad to know I was okay.

I sat up, lifting the blanket off of me to see that I only had my somewhat tattered sweatpants on. I had bandages wrapped around my left arm and my chest. I winced as I moved some muscles, remembering how much we've done during that intense battle.

Everyone noticed my wincing, and they adorned a look of concern on their faces. They knew I was hurt, and that I needed to remain still and get as much rest as possible to be fully recovered.

"Hey, you should probably get some rest right now. You've used a lot of energy, alright?" Tina said calmly, placing a paw on my right shoulder. She gave me a small smile as she said that, and I nodded my head in response.

"A-aha… right, sure thing." I replied with a bit of a chuckle, smiling to reassure her. She's quite the caring person, if I may be honest.

I laid myself back down, not wanting them to worry about me too much if I tried moving around. I stayed there for a while, talking to Bryce and Alice the entire time. Tina had stayed as well, so we all got to know more about her. I could tell that she was going to hang out with us from now on.

While thinking, I then remembered about Niku, wondering what had happened to her after the battle Tina and I had against Aaron.

"Hey… uh… what happened to Niku? Is she alright?" I asked my friends, awaiting for an answer. Tina looked at me, and was the one who gave me the answer I wanted to hear.

"She got permission to go home early today, thinking that it would be better to rest up and recover after a day like this. She told me to tell you that she's thankful for saving her. Well… twice, actually."

I nodded, smiling. My heart was beating faster in my chest. I was glad to hear that she was safe, and that she was able to stay away from the school for the rest of the day, out of harm's way.

Bryce noticed the expression I held on my face, and he chuckled.

"Francis has a crush~"

I blushed madly from his statement, and everyone laughed. Dammit, I knew this would happen. He just had to tease me about it, once again. I pouted as I looked at all of them, and begged for them to keep this a secret. They all nodded their head in agreement, promising that they wouldn't tell a soul about it.

I sighed contentedly. Today was an eventful day, if you ask me. Especially gym class. I battled Aaron, with Tina by my side, to save Niku from being bullied. It was an intense battle, yes, and I have gotten hurt, but we all know that what we've done was the right thing. We came out of it successfully, and everyone was safe.

But then... I realized something bad. What would my mother say about all of this?!

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 **That's all for Chapter 7, all. Hope you enjoyed the fight scene. :D**

 **We'll be laying off on the action next time, maybe doing something funny. Not sure, but it'll be cool. Or not. You'll have to see to find out. ;)**

 **Until next time! Toodles!**

 **Edit: Big McThankies from McFloofies to the best beta-reader in the world, Chlooepm! If you haven't checked her stuff out yet, you really gotta! So credits to her for not only overlooking the edits of this chapter, but also even wrote rewrote a portion of it! So seriously, please check her works out. And with that, it is now 7/20 chapters done in terms of this rewriting process.**


	8. Aftermath

**Back at it again! :D**

 **I'm on a role, if you haven't noticed. Probably because I have so much time on my hands. I don't have school until next week. XD**

 **Without further ado, let's get to starting this chapter. Enjoy! :)**

 _ **Disclaimer: This story is rated "T", due to the cursing and swearing, fighting and bloodshed at times, and more things that can make a story rated "T". Also, I don't own Pokemon and any brand/game that is mentioned/referenced in this story at any given time. I only own the OCs.**_

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I would assume that all of you have been wondering: _"Why were those events in the last 2 chapters have been life-changing for you, Francis?"_ Well, the answer is quite simple. Allow me to give you all a rundown on why they were.

The results of those events had gotten me to become injured, but it didn't bother me at all. It wasn't like I had to be seated in a wheelchair for a couple of months, or use the support of crutches to help me carry myself around. All I had, was a couple of bandages wrapped around my left arm and chest, though that one was hidden underneath my clothing.

That was about it, in the terms of dealing with my injuries.

However, there was someone who hadn't gotten impressed by my actions these last few days, and was not at all amused. My mother.

When I had come home from school that day, with the help of Bryce, my mother noticed how I was beat up pretty badly in a few places, with my clothing being nothing but completely battered up. She nearly lost it when she saw me in my condition.

She had gotten mad that I started a school fight, but once I had explained to her that I was stopping a bully from teasing someone, she understood my reasoning and finally calmed down.

Unfortunately, it hadn't stopped my mother from putting me trouble for being in a battle against someone else.

Now, speaking of getting in trouble, Mr. Fritz didn't get mad at us for nearly burning down a part of the gymnasium, as well as denting a large hole - the size of a Charizard, mind you - into one of the walls.

Tina had told him a lie, stating that we had been doing some battle practicing, but things had gotten way out of hand, causing for the battle to become a real fight. Mr. Fritz had actually believed her story, and it surprised all of us, honestly.

Speaking of Tina; she had begun to hang around with my friends and I, after our battle against Aaron. It made me happy to see that she had joined us, despite her nervousness around new people. Why she was shy, I can't be entirely sure.

Another thing that made me happy, was the fact that Bryce and Alice had accepted Tina into our group of friends.

As the days had gone by, we had all introduced ourselves properly to Tina, who had done the same. She spoke about some self-defense courses she had taken before, and she mentioned her typing; which was Dark and Fighting. It had surprised the lot of us, learning that someone is able to have those two typing genes in her blood.

It especially surprised me, in all honesty. I mean, it really explains how Tina was able to use moves like Dark Pulse or Shadow Ball, but it was rare to find someone, whether they're a Pokemon, grem, or animal, to adorn those two typings. It was a rare sight to see, especially since there are only about 3 or 4 species of Pokemon who have those two typings.

Now, if only I remembered which Pokemon they were, I would have been happy to tell you.

As we kept on talking, Tina had also told us she liked anime, which had gotten Alice interested. I was able to tell that those two would become great friends, and would take any opportunity to socialize more about anime. She hadn't specified which anime she watches or prefers, just that she liked it in general. Which is fine, of course.

To Bryce's interest, Tina had also mentioned that she was into video games as well. But, to his disappointment, she had told him that she was a PC gamer. He, on the other hand, had always been a console gamer. I, however, am divided between the two. I like both PC and console gaming. Despite their differences, though, I was sure that both Tina and Bryce would be getting along quite well.

All in all, I was able to tell that Tina felt welcomed into our group of friends, and it made me happy to see that.

However, something had come to mind. We haven't taken the time to talk about our other friend in the group; Amy.

When she had come back a day later, the familiar Flygon questioned about the new girl sitting at our table.

"I see we have someone new. Who's this?" Amy asked, raising an eyebrow. She took her seat next to Bryce, across from Tina. I had decided to speak up, to answer her question.

"Oh, her? This is Tina." I said, gesturing my paw towards the grem. "She came to school on Monday as a new student, and we've become great friends with her."

Tina nodded at my reply, and gave a bright, warm smile to the Flygon sitting across from her.

"Exactly that. If I remember… you're Amy, correct?" Tina asked, and Amy nodded her head in response. "Your friends have told me so many great things about you! It's a pleasure to meet you."

Extending her paw towards Amy, we noticed how she, for once, looked flattered with the statement Tina had told her.

"W-well…" Amy stuttered for a second, but then shook her head, as she shook Tina's paw firmly. "Thanks. It's a pleasure to meet you too, Tina."

Once they disconnected from their handshake, Amy cleared her throat. "I couldn't help but notice that you've got quite a grip there, during our handshake."

Tina looked directly at Amy, and I could tell that she seemed to have gotten a little flustered about that statement, as she scratched the back of her head. She chuckled nervously.

"Oh… Sorry about that. You see, I never seem to realize the strength I put into things."

Alice, Bryce and I's jaws nearly dropped when we saw the look on Amy's face. We had never seen her look shocked in our entire lives, so this was a rare sight to see. It may not have lasted long, but it was still something.

"Ah… I see." She nods slightly, and began to eat her food, which consists of her usual cafeteria-based meal; a hamburger and fries. It seemed to be the only thing she eats when she comes to school, and it somewhat worried me. Athletes like her shouldn't be consuming foods like that, right?

I shook the thought away. It wasn't really my problem, and I wouldn't start telling her what to eat and what not to eat. She's allowed to eat whatever pleases her stomach.

"So…" Amy began, as she shoved a handful of fries into her mouth. "Have any of you heard about this one person that's apparently stronger than I am? People have been saying it was a new student, and they've teamed up with some nerd to battle Aaron. Do one of you mind telling me what happened while I was gone?"

She crossed her arms, awaiting and answer. She had a sort of nonchalant look on her face, almost like she didn't seem to believe that someone had been deemed to be stronger than she is.

However, I'm sure we all knew the answer to her question, but… I think we were all nervous to say anything. We were all avoiding eye contact with her.

That is, until Tina had decided to speak up.

"I can answer that for you, Amy." She began, looking into the Flygon's eyes. "In gym class, we saw that Aaron was picking on this other new student, so Francis and I had stepped up, walking up to the guy and told him to stop bullying the poor girl."

Amy's eyes widened when she heard my name. She probably hadn't expected to hear my name at all, nor hear that Tina was also one to have stopped Aaron. She decided not to speak, however, and decided to let Tina continue the story.

"The battle was immensely tough, in all honesty. Aaron was the strongest out of the three of us, throwing in tons of Fire Blast and Air Slash attacks, in hopes to burn us down or knock us over in a few shots. But, Francis and I had decided to do some sort of combination moves - each one of us throwing in a few attacks, and sent him over to the other to do the same - and we eventually pulled through, defeating him!"

Tina smiled proudly. She still felt the pride in herself, and in me, I would assume, about defeating such a strong opponent like Aaron. I gotta admit, I was also proud of that moment as well.

But, Amy looked dumbfounded at what Tina had just said. She then bit her lip as she stifled a laugh, but eventually cracked up. The Flygon laughed out loud, banging her fist on the table a few times. Everyone of us looked at her confusingly, wondering what was so funny. It was the first time we had seen her laugh this hard, another rare sight.

Once she had calmed down, she used a claw to wipe a tear away and tried to speak, but no words would come out. Amy spent a minute trying to catch her breath, and then begun to explain herself.

"C-come on, guys… Don't go around and joke around like that." She spoke, stuttering a little. "But, seriously. Who were the ones who went and kicked Aaron's butt?"

Tina's head tilted to the side slightly, the same look of confusion plastered on her face. "This isn't a joke, Amy. Francis and I were the ones who beat him up. Right, fox?"

Everyone's heads turned towards me, and I could practically feel Amy's stare piercing through me. When my eyes met hers, I gulped, and I was sure that everyone had both seen and heard that.

"W-well… uhh, y-yeah. Tina's right, w-we both beat him up." I stuttered, and mentally slapped myself. I had to sound convincing. "We haven't done it out of bad intentions, or anything. W-we just felt the need to do it, because we all know that bullying is wrong."

Amy shook her head, letting out a scoff. "This just has to be a joke! No offense, you two, but I just can't accept or believe that fact that it was you two that went and beat up Aaron. You both just look so… weak!"

Tina stood up, and I could feel her anger from all the way here. The grem's eyes glared at the Flygon's, and I could tell that she grit her teeth.

"Looks can be deceiving, you know." Tina growled, which resulted with Amy standing up herself, holding a similar glare like her own.

"Are you challenging me, newbie?" Amy retorted, growling as well. The tension between the two could be felt in the air, and it intensified as they kept glaring at each other. Amy was now giving Tina a death glare, while the grem was baring her teeth and growling loudly, more so than Amy did.

No one, and I mean no one has ever stood up to Amy like that. It made the rest of us afraid that this could end up in an argument, even a big fight. Bryce and I seemed to have the same idea that had come to mind, because we both stood up, fists lightly banging on the table to catch their attention.

"Alright, Amy." Bryce began, placing a paw on Amy's shoulder in comfort. "You can't fight here, or you'll get into trouble again."

Bryce was speaking to Amy, their conversation inaudible to us. I was sure he was asking for her to take a seat and to calm down.

My attention then turned to Tina, and it was my turn to place a paw on her shoulder comfortably.

"Tina, you oughta calm a little, alright?" I spoke up, voice soft. "You know better than to start a pointless fight, don't you?"

Tina looked at me for a brief moment, and she nodded her head in response. Both of them had eventually took their seat, calming down. Their eyes wouldn't stop staring at each other, but the tension from earlier had died down. In my opinion, I could tell that they had become each other's rival from that moment, and I somehow knew that the two of them would not get along at all.

Apart from that moment during lunch, the rest of the week had gone by pretty well.

I even got to befriend that white cat that was around too.

On that same day, moments before school had started, Niku had caught sight of me, and walked up to me to have a talk.

"Hey!" She exclaimed happily, taking her seat next to me in math class. I was surprised by the sudden action, because I did not expect to have company. What I forgot to realize, was the fact that I looked completely unprofessional, as I had been scratching my ears.

When I had heard her voice, however, my gaze directly went towards her as my paw immediately went on my desk and I composed myself, sitting up straight and scattering a few pencils off of that said desk.

"H-huh?! O-oh hey!" I spoke nervously, feeling my face heat up as I looked at her. I'm sure she could tell I was nervous, and giggled at what my clumsy actions.

I went to pick up my pencils off the classroom floor, and she helped me.

"Hehe, let me help you with that." She said cheerily, squatting down and picked up a few pencils of mine. Once she handed them over to me, I let her sit down at the desk beside me.

In all honesty, I really enjoyed her company. If you remember correctly, it's probably because of the massive crush I have on her.

"Mrow… um… thanks for helping me yesterday. You really saved my tail." She rubbed the back of her head when she said that, and I somehow shook away my nervousness to talk to her. I gave her a warm smile.

"Hey, it's alright. No need to say thank you. I just did what I thought was right, and that was to stop Aaron from bullying you. It wasn't right, and no deserves to be treated such a way."

I can't lie, but I really hadn't expected to hear myself say that. I felt proud of my answer given, and I could tell that Niku still felt thankful for what I've done to help her.

Niku had also asked me how I was feeling after the rough battle, since she had found out that I had been injured. Although it wasn't anything serious, I reassured her that I was feeling completely fine, and would be fully recovered in no time.

As our class went on, I had noticed that Niku was struggling with some of the math problems the teacher had given us. I could tell, by the frustrated look on her face, that she couldn't seem to figure this one question out. She kept on scribbling stuff down, and then erasing it all, before repeating the same process. I had decided to speak up then.

"Hey, Niku. Need any help with the work?" I asked quietly, but loud enough for her to hear. She turned to look at me and nodded, giving a curt 'meow'.

I've always thought that, when a cat would say 'meow' in their sentence or out of the blue, it was nothing but a stereotype. People have claimed that it was just a hoax, but I guess that in some cases, some actually do say it.

As I helped Niku with the questions, I noticed that she was eagerly happy that I was explaining the work to her. Either she was thankful that I was able to explain the math questions better than the actual teacher, or...was it that she liked me back? For some reason, I was doubting it.

I don't expect the girl that I like to feel the same, just because of how unlikely it was. But then again, all this crazy stuff happened to me already. Maybe it's possible that it can happen? If it is, it's a long shot.

All in all, that was how Niku and I became good friends. Sometimes, I wonder if we could become more than that, but… like I said before, it's probably a long shot.

This week went by pretty well, if you ask me. A lot of students had heard about what Tina and I had done, and they weren't shy to come up to either one of us, praising the both of us for our bravery of standing up against Aaron the way we did.

However, if someone didn't mention Tina's name, I would give them the same reply: "Thanks, but I didn't do it alone. My friend Tina helped me, and I would have been burned a crisp if it weren't for her". I'm sure Tina said similar answers to others as well, if they hadn't mentioned my name.

The whole event with Aaron had been such a popularity boost for me. However, it won't get to my head like any typical movie. I wasn't someone who would do such a thing.

After pulling a big stunt like that, I was out of commission of doing anything sports-related, due to my injuries. It hurt to sleep at night, since I always had to lie on my left side. Now, I had lie on my right side to sleep. It honestly sucked, but I needed to recover.

I shook away the thought. I knew that I'll get back to training sooner or later. Believe it or not, I was kinda rusty using the attacks and combos I had used when I had to battle Aaron.

I don't mean to brag or anything, but I had been ditching my daily training sessions with myself, due to how busy I have become nowadays. Even on days that I didn't have anything to do, I didn't train. Not sure why.

But now, I have a reason to train. I realized that I need to be able to defend myself, and others. This meant that I needed to do some proper training, the same way my dad had taught me. Not with terrible combinations that might just leave the opponent laughing. I need to fight smart, not with just brute force, alone.

Which is why I can't train alone. I'll need to find a training partner. Someone to spar with. They could help me to scout out my weak points, and help me improve on them.

And I think I know the perfect person to ask.

* * *

 **Wow, not a long chapter, huh? It's a lot shorter than the one I had written yesterday. Apparently it didn't save, and I had to redo this chapter. Which is a lot shorter than what it was. I can't remember I wrote to make it as long as it was, but whatever. This is just filler anyways, with a touch of character development here and there.**

 **Ain't that swell? :D**

 **Anyways, expect some sparring next chapter. We'll get some training in! We'll get those bones shaking! We'll... do something that makes us fit, idk. XD**

 **See ya in chapter 9, everyone! Toodles!  
**

 **Edit: Chloopm rewrote this entire chapter for me, since I got busy with other things. Big thanks to her, she's been such a help in this revisioning process.**


	9. Mutual Training

**Hey there, I'm back! I decided to sketch something. It turned out bad, and now I'm working on this current chapter. Enjoy! There's gonna be some fighting in this chapter, and more character development! :D**

 **I also wanna thank my friend _Galaxiona_ for the cover art. Absolutely amazing in my opinion! :) It's certainly better than what I could draw. XD**

 _ **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon, I just own most of the O**_ _ **Cs. This story is also rated T, due to the stuff in this story making it that rating. You should already know what it is, since I've explained it about 8 times by now**_ **.**

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So, did I leave you wondering about who I would get as a training partner? It's actually a no-brainer, in my opinion. But hey, I'll explain my choices.

The first one I considered to be my training partner was my brother, Ethan. However, although he has my father's blood in him, he can't seem to be capable of being at the same level of strength I when I was his age.

I mean, he could still use attacks and all, but they aren't as powerful as how I could use them. My brother would probably get demolished immediately if I trained with him.

Plus, he loves to run his mouth at times, but he can't seem to put his money where his mouth is. He acts so tough, but the moment he gets blown away or hurt, he comes crying to my mother and tattles on me, even though he started it.

No offense to him, but his attacks are also flimsy. I feel like he's jealous that I got training from my dad while he didn't. Maybe I should train him one day, but for now, he's not the right one for me to train with.

I also thought about Bryce being my training partner. He's really experienced in terms of battling, since I've seen what he's capable of in the countless battles he's fought in gym class, for assessment purposes, of course. It's not like he would fight someone purposely or without a good reason, after all.

When he's using his full power, he's capable of releasing flames that can be as hot as a stove or oven. Despite that, he can tone down his flames if he's just creating a simple campfire or cooking something. He's quite experienced with his fire abilities, and it doesn't stop there. He's also able to do a multitude of different attacks as well.

In fact, it's quite common to see a fur know at least normal type attacks and moves. It's in their blood and genes, since somewhere in their bloodline lay a Pokemon's blood.

However, I feel that he wouldn't take it seriously, hence the reason why I don't think he'd be the greatest sparring partner. He wouldn't dare use his full power even if I asked him to, in fear of accidentally burning me or something. I understand his care and also fear in injuring me, but that's the point of sparring and training. I need to get hurt to be able to eventually withstand huge attacks without getting too effected from it.

So in short, Bryce is definitely experienced in battling, but he doesn't like to fight very much and can be afraid to use his everything he's got. Plus, I'd probably feel bad if I hurt him by accident.

And then we get to Amy. She's definitely a very talented and powerful opponent when it comes to battling. If you were put against her in a demonstration, you'd be off the fighting mat in literal seconds. Plus, she can easily dodge any sort of attack you could throw at her. However, if you did manage to land an attack on her, she would probably shake it off with ease, and counter with twice as much power. That said attack has a high chance of putting you out of commision for the rest of the day.

So honestly, is it worth the risk to train with such a strong Pokemon like Amy? It's just too much to worry about, since I'm afraid that she'll take the training and take it too far and accidently break me in half or something. It's just too risky. Even if I do want to get stronger through tough training, she's just way out of my league at the moment. She's too strong for me right now, and I'll end up injuring myself more than I should from a little sparring.

Alice comes to my mind, but I immediately think it's a bad idea.

First off, I haven't seen her battle in general, seeming to always opt out to just watch us. What I'm afraid of is that she doesn't have actual battle experience and that I'd hurt her badly.

Of course, she's proven to me that she can use attacks like Flamethrower and such, but I could feel from a distance that they aren't as powerful, even if she was just using them with little effort put in. No offense.

Secondly, I'd also feel guilty if I hurt her badly. She acts like such a motherly figure towards towards all of us, even if she doesn't think so. It just doesn't feel right to be fighting against someone like her; a really good and caring friend.

So, who could possibly be a good training partner for me? I think it's a little obvious at this point.

It was Tina. She was the best sparring partner that was around.

I'm pretty sure Tina is at a sorts of equal strength with me, or at least is around my level of skill, and would possibly even hone her own craft at the same time. She also seems like she could be a good opponent to face on the battle mat, and I feel like she would be willing to help me improve myself while doing the same for herself.

It's definitely a scenario where we'd both benefit from. She just has to say yes!

...but of course, it isn't like it's a date or anything.

The only thing I have to do now, is ask her to be my training partner.

This was going to be a tough task, however, because you all should know how I react when I get nervous. I could either stutter, mess some of my words up, or anything in between. The possibilities could be endless at this rate.

But, I can't let that get to me. I knew that I wouldn't go anywhere if I didn't go up to her and asked her this simple question. All I really had to do, was wait for a good moment to do so.

A week after the incident in the gymnasium, I sat in art class, right next to Tina. It turns out that she had the same class as Bryce and I, which was pretty great. She was a phenomenal artist, and I've been able to say so, because I saw a few of her sketches the other day. They were really well-detailed and they looked amazing. Her sketches consisted of some anime characters, to some amazingly colored and detailed drawings. I certainly could say that I was impressed.

As I've noticed that Bryce wasn't in school today, I've decided to take the opportunity to ask Tina to train with me. It would make things a whole lot easier for me, because I knew that Bryce would be teasing me about it, as he would take as if were gonna go on a date or something similar.

Turning my head towards Tina, I've noticed she was currently occupying herself as she was colouring a sketch. The figure in the sketch looked a lot like herself, and it was in some sort of heroic pose. I watched as her eyes were focused on the piece of paper she was sketching on, clearly focusing on the shading of the details.. Everything seemed to look correct, but I guess she wanted to do a double check.

What I hadn't noticed, however, was when she lifted her head, turning to look at me. She noticed I was staring, and so did I.

"Oh. Umm… Hey, fox." She started, an eyebrow raised. "Do you need something?"

I panicked inside. My mouth opened, trying to figure out what to say, but I choked on my words. I wasn't entirely sure what to say at that moment. But, I had to say something, so I ended up sputtering on my words.

"Huh? I-I mean, I don't need anything. It's not like I was staring o-or anything!"

Upon realizing what I said, I mentally slapped myself. Good job, Francis. My thoughts told me. I knew something like this was going to happen, and yet here I am, completely making a fool of myself.

I turned my head to look away, trying to cover up the fact that I was feeling embarrassed about the situation. And, out of the corner of my eye, I could see Tina's arms crossed over her chest, the same eyebrow remaining raised, and a smirk being plastered on her face.

"Francis." She said my name simply, but her voice almost sounded like she was mocking me. I turned my head to look at her.

"Y-yes, Tina?" I replied, my gaze watching her own. I was beginning to get nervous. It's like she had a feeling of what I was about to ask.

"We both know you have something to say. Would you like to get it off your chest?" She giggled, and I felt just as nervous I was earlier. My gaze was locked on hers, and I gulped. This was the time to ask her the question that's been on my mind for a while now. I took a deep breath, and nodded my head.

"I, uh… I do h-have a question for you." I stuttered once more. Great job, Francis. You might make the question look more like a date than what it's actually meant to be.

Tina's smirk must've grown at my response. "Oh, really? Let's hear it."

My nerves wouldn't stop growing at that moment, and I didn't understand why I felt such a way. I was only going to ask her to train with me, for Arceus' sake! It's not that complicated! Regardless, I gulped once more, letting a sigh escape. I just had to ask her now, or I wouldn't have the courage to do so later on.

"O-okay. I was wondering if… Y-you wanted to…"

"Come on, fox! Just ask the question! It looks like you're trying to ask me out on a date or something." She cut me off, and her tone of voice was a little louder than before. I couldn't help but to blush furiously at her statement.

"W-what?!" I retorted, my eyes wide. I couldn't believe what she said, and I immediately shook my head. "I-I wasn't going to ask that at all!"

"Well, why don't you tell me?" Tina said, her gaze becoming soft. "You know you can ask me anything."

"Yes, of course." I nodded. I took a deep breath, finding the courage to ask. "I-I only wanted to ask you if you'd like to be my training partner."

Tina's face showed understanding once she finally heard my question. She let out a small chuckle.

"I see, now. All you've been wanting to ask me, is if I can do some training with you." I nodded my head once more, letting her know that was what I meant.

"Alice was right about thing, that's for sure." She ruffled the tufts of fur atop my head teasingly, causing me to blush. "You're quite adorable when you get really nervous."

"S-shush." I mumbled, turning my head away for a brief moment, and I could hear Tina giggling from next to me. I was clearly embarrassed by this, but I was still awaiting for an answer. I turned my gaze to hers once more, and saw that she adorned a smile on her face.

"For that question of yours… yes, I'd like to do some training with you. It sounds pretty fun, if you ask me. You can come over to my place and we can start the training there." She said to me with a nod, and I replied with a nod of my own. Going to her place might be a better idea, in case she'd have a bigger backyard, or would have more props and other supplies to help us with the training. Wherever her house may be, didn't exactly matter. I felt pretty stoked to begin training again.

"Perfect! We should probably stop by your place first, just before we get to mine. Just so you can, you know, let your mother know where you'll be at the rest of the afternoon and evening. I don't think you'd want to worry her now, do you?" Tina said, coming up with a quick plan. I nodded my head in agreement, thinking it's a good idea. She was right, my mother would definitely get worried if she didn't know my whereabouts, especially if she came home from work to find out I wasn't there.

Once the final school bell had rung, we followed our plan, and first headed over to my place. Tina had the opportunity to see the house I lived in, along getting to meet both my mother and my brother. For a split second, they both thought that she was my girlfriend, but I quickly interrupted their assumptions and explained to them that she was a friend. It was really embarrassing.

After telling my mother the plans Tina and I had for training, she thought it was a good idea, and agreed to it. She let me know not to come home too late, since she would be going to sleep early for a morning shift. I made a promise to her that I'd be home before then, so I wouldn't disturb her.

We left my place shortly after that, and we've made our way to Tina's. Once we got there, however, I've noticed how her place was somewhat smaller than I had anticipated it.

"My parents aren't home right now, so we'll be able to train until they do." Tina explained, walking over to the locked gate at the side of her house. "My dad absolutely hates it when he hears me training in the backyard and flips out. However, my mom seems to be fine with it." From our current location, I could tell that the gate Tina was unlocking would be leading us to her backyard. Once she opened it, she led me in and I was able to have a look around.

Her backyard looked like any other, but I could see that there was a large stand with a variety of different weapons off to the side. Some weapons I was able to recognize as swords, such as nunchucks, a few kendo sticks, and other weapons of some sorts. Part of me wanted to ask her why she owned so many weapons, but I shrugged it off for now, figuring I could talk to her about it later on.

All in all, though, her backyard looked like some sort of dojo, in a way.

"Alright. I'm going inside to get myself changed into my training outfit. You can stay here and do the same, since I doubt you'd train in these clothes. I'll be right back." She spoke, walking over to the back door of her house. I nodded, but then spoke up as she reached the door.

"Uh… couldn't I just change inside your house?" I said, a sort of timid tone in my voice. She turned around to look at me as she opened the screen door.

"I can't really do that, since it's sorta messy in here, and I'd rather you not see it. I forgot to clean up the place." She spoke sheepishly, but then chuckled. "I'll be quick, I'll be back in a few." She then slipped into her house, and shut the sliding door behind her. Once she was out of sight, I nodded my head to myself. She was definitely right about one thing; I couldn't do any training in the clothing I was currently wearing, with the same going for her. She was wearing a hoodie and some jeans, which would be uncomfortable to do some training in.

Realizing that I wasn't getting changed, I slipped out of my clothes quickly, and dug through my bag to find the training clothing I had packed earlier. I took out the purple tracksuit I had found in my closet while digging through it, and smiled. It must have been a gift I received for Christmas or my birthday one year. I wasn't entirely sure, but I knew that it would do for today's training session.

Slipping on the tracksuit, I placed my other clothing into my bag, and tossing it to the side of the backyard, where it would remain unharmed. I decided to do some quick stretching exercises, to make sure it fit me well, and to loosen up some muscles before the training. It felt really nice, and I missed doing some training.

But I was happy to be able to resume the training I've been neglecting for so long.

I heard the back door open, and see Tina walking out of her house. What she was wearing was more suitable for training, which consisted of some track pants, which somehow resembled mine, but they were black instead of purple. She was also wearing some sort of fitness tank top. She looked ready for the training session, and so was I.

"Come on, Francis. Over here." Tina said to me as she led me over to the weapon rack. Reaching over with a paw, she takes a sword from the rack and points the blade my way. Surprised by her actions, I immediately stopped before the edge of the blade could touch me. She laughed a bit as she flipped the sword in her paws.

"No need to worry." Tina stated, placing the sword back on the rack where it belonged. "My family and I know weapons of this kind are quite dangerous, so these are just replicas made from stone." She chuckled a bit as she adjusted a few of the weapons on the rack that were misplaced. I did chuckle as well, though mine had more of a nervous tone to it.

"A-ah...I see. So are we gonna use those to train?" I asked her, and she giggled a little as she shook her head.

"Nah, we're gonna be using something a bit less heavy." She replied to me as she took two kendo sticks right off the rack. She handed one of the kendo sticks to me, and I took it.

"We'll be using these." She began, moving past me and going towards the middle of her yard. "We won't be teaching you how to use a sword or anything, it's just good training on how to block and dodge. You get it?" Understanding her exercise, I nod to her. Happy that I understood, a grin of happiness was soon was plastered on her face.

"Cool! Now, over here." She said, gesturing for me to come her way. Nodding once again, I walked my way towards her, leaving a few metres of distance between her and I. Once I took my position, she dipped her head to me.

"You ready? All you gotta do is make sure I don't land a hit on you with the kendo stick while I do the same for you, and feet and paws don't count." She explained, taking her kendo stick and flipping it a few times. "Oh, and we are allowed to use attacks in any way, shape or form. Just no using protect. Understand all that, Fran?" Seems like she's familiar with using a kendo stick already.

"Y-yeah, I understand." I replied, nodding my head with a nervous chuckle. "I'm ready when you are."

Tina took an offensive stance, the kendo stick firmly held in her paws. I could tell that she was gripping it tightly, and it showed that she's done some sort of training with it. She might've taken some lessons before, but I couldn't be entirely sure.

Following Tina's lead, I took a fighting stance as well, the kendo stick in both my paws. My grip tightened a little bit, making sure my hold was firm, and I was looking at the grem that stood a few feet away from me, waiting for her to make the first move.

Just as predicted, she charged at me with incredible speed. She held the kendo stick by her side, the tip pointing to my direction and to my torso, preparing to jab me with it. Fortunately, I foresaw her attack, and swiftly slashed my own kendo stick downwards, blocking her attack.

Once she got close enough, however, I pressed my paw on her chest, using a weak Force Palm attack on her to push her backwards. It worked, and she was sent back skidding a few feet, to the area she first stood at. Once she regained her balance, she looked at me, scoffing.

"Not bad, Francis. Not bad indeed." She said, the tone of her voice becoming serious.

After she flipped the kendo stick in her paws once more, she charged at me for a second time, but at a slower pace. She swung her stick at me, and I blocked it with my own. She then tried swinging the kendo stick in another direction with more speed, but I blocked that attempted attack as well.

We continued swinging our kendo sticks for a few minutes, trying to get a hit at each other. Sometimes, she tried to sneak behind me using that Shadow Sneak attack she had, but I had great hearing, meaning I knew when she would be standing behind me. I would have lost the challenge if it weren't for my ears.

It was quiet in the neighborhood, but all you could hear was the sound of both our kendo sticks hitting each other, and the grunting coming from Tina and I as we swung our weapons. We've been at this for a quite a while, with none of us backing down just yet. It was like we were waiting for someone to give in the challenge.

However, after another short while, we distanced ourselves from each other, both panting from slight exhaustion.

"Wow… you're doing pretty good, fox." Tina grinned, wiping some sweat from her forehead with the back of her paw. I smiled at her compliment.

"Really? I guess… we're just getting started then, aren't we?" I replied, my smile growing wider.

"Yes, we are." She took her stance again, her grin growing wider as well. I think she was feeling cocky. "I'm going to come at you with my all now, and I really hope you'll do the same!" Taking a similar fighting stance like Tina's, I nodded my head in response.

"Of course we will!" I exclaimed, gripping the kendo stick. The training was about to get to the next level, and I somehow felt afraid that either one of us could be getting hurt during the session.

Once again, Tina charged at me with agility. It almost felt like she was using the move Agility, but it wouldn't surprise me at all, in all honesty. As she got closer to me, she swung her kendo stick, trying to struck me on my side. I jumped back swiftly, but it seems that she had been planning that to happen since the beginning.

As soon as I had jumped back, I could feel her presence behind me. She had used Shadow Sneak again. I quickly spun around to face her, and I could see that she was about to strike me with the kendo stick. I used my own stick to block her slash, and we continued this way, both of our kendo sticks clashing together. We were pushing against each other, hoping one of us would win this challenge with the effort put into it.

However, as soon as I had backed up to stop the clashing, she kept at me, aiming her kendo stick to swipe downwards. I barely had the time to dodge the oncoming attack, and tumbled backwards. She definitely wasn't lying when she said she would be using her all in this challenge, and I couldn't be entirely sure if this was a good thing for me. She was strong, and she had skills with the kendo stick.

Soon after, Tina started swinging at me at a fast speed, and it was at that moment that I realized she had used Agility. However, I was cunning, and had just used the same move as she did, as soon as she swung at me. I kept up with her slashes with my own, blocking and dodging her attacks with ease, while walking backwards to keep the pressure at an all time low. She wouldn't let up, however. As more time passed by, Tina's movement had gotten a lot faster, her kendo stick almost becoming a blur as she kept on swinging it. It seemed as if she her training methods were reaching its peak, and that it was just about to end soon.

At that moment, I had begun to struggle blocking her attempts at hitting me with her kendo stick. I've noticed that, every time her stick would clash against mine, I could a faint crackling sound. It seems to me that both of our kendo sticks were on the edge to break, and it was going to happen, sooner or later.

"A-alright, fox, you've blocked my attacks long enough!" Tina called out, flipping the kendo stick in her hands. "It's about time I go on and finish this!"

She swiftly kicked me on the chest, which had caused me to stumble backwards. Tina used that momentum to do some sort of jump to distance herself a few feet away from me. That stunned me quite a bit, as I hadn't expected that from her at all. If I wasn't battling with her at the moment, she would've gotten an applause from me.

However, once I've gotten back to my senses, I visibly saw her jump into the air, the kendo stick above her head. She was going to use every bit of her strength to give me a strong slash in attempt to break my defense.

I quickly tried to block her oncoming attack, which happened to be successful, but… as soon as both our kendo sticks had collided against each other, both of them had snapped in half.

And, as a result, Tina fell right onto me. And I fell backwards onto the grass.

I was in a complete daze for a minute. But, once I shook away the thought, I blushed at the sight in front of me. I saw her atop of me, sitting on my chest. And once we made eye contact, her aquamarine-colored eyes staring into my dull hazel-colored eyes, I was certain that her face was flushed as well.

There I was, laying on the grass, with the familiar grem I had been training with for the past hour or so, was now sitting on my chest. What was I supposed to do now? I wasn't exactly sure myself.

A few moments later, I felt something poke my side. I yelped in surprise, my thoughts immediately rushing away as I looked down to my side, to see what might've poked me. Turns out to be one of the broken halves of a kendo stick, and I could see Tina's paw gripping onto it firmly.

"Haha, yes! I win!" Tina laughed proudly, a big smile on her face. She was happy that she was successful with that final hit, winning the challenge as a result. I shook my embarrassment away and chuckled along with her.

"We both know that we were having a moment there, but… you have to remember the task at hand. I could tell you were distracted." Tina said to me, matter of factly. As much as I wouldn't have wanted to admit it, I nodded my head in agreement. She laughed some more in result, and I chuckled alongside her, my face heating up from the moment. After a while, however, I thought about wanting to get up.

"Uh… Tina? Would you mind if, you know, you could get off of me?" I asked, scratching the back of my head with a paw. Tina giggled and nodded her head in response.

"Well of course, my foxy friend." She got up, getting off of me, but that didn't stop me from blushing a deep red. I thanked her as I got up myself, dusting myself off before stretching some muscles.

Meanwhile, Tina looked down at the shattered kendo sticks on the ground. She scratched the back of her neck, a nervous chuckle escaping her lips.

"Well… I'm going to have to explain to my parents how I've broken two of our kendo sticks in the span of a day." She said, before kneeling down and picking up some of the bits and pieces that had broken off. I followed along, kneeling down next to her and begun to help her clean up the mess.

"I-I guess we got a little carried away with our training… My bad." I said, my ears slightly drooping down. I felt bad for having broken some of their training gear. I watched Tina as she shook her head, then using a paw to point at herself.

"Don't blame yourself, Francis. It's my own fault, I've taken the training a little too far with the amount of strength I've put into my swings." Tina replied with a small chuckle. My head tilted a little as Tina had said that, but I knew that I couldn't really argue with her statement. I sighed in defeat as a response.

After picking up the remains of the broken kendo sticks, we threw everything out. Once finished, she turned to me.

"Hey, fox? Did you think that we were done after the challenge?" Tina asked, gazing at me with a grin on her face. I opened my mouth to speak, but was cut off. "Well, we aren't. We're just getting warmed up!"

I nodded my head. It did make sense that this was just a warm-up. There was still so much left to do, and I was looking forward to becoming stronger by making her my sparring partner. This was the whole point to asking her to train by my side, after all.

"Alright. We'll be working on some normal sparring now. Don't be afraid to land a hit on me, even though I'm a girl." She said as she took a fighting stance, a teasing smirk on her face. "After all, this is just some training."

I took a fighting stance as well, but it seemed to be a little more on the defensive side, rather than be offensive. Admittedly, I was sorta scared of hitting a girl, even if it was just for a battle training. It just doesn't feel right to me.

Soon, two hours passed by since we've started the second part of our training.

During the process, I had learned how to use a ground type move called Bone Rush. By placing my paws together and then spreading them apart, I create a light green/blue bone of energy, and then I'm able to hit an opponent multiple times with it. Another trick you can do with Bone Rush, is when you've created the bone, you're able to split it in two, having a bone in each paw.

I do remember, when I was younger, that my father had used that move before. He did tell me that it was hard to master, much like Aura Sphere. However, instead of using your aura to create the sphere, you use your energy to create bones with your paws.

It may sound difficult to some, but once you get the hang of it, it's pretty simple.

"Wow, so this is how you use Bone Rush, huh?" I said as I held an energy-filled bone in my paw. It did look like a bone, yes, but it was as long as a staff, and it was glowing a light green/blue color. I could see Tina smirking when she had seen me be able to create the bone successfully.

"You see? I told you that training with me is worth it. So much better than going to the gym." She chuckled for a moment, and then began rubbing the back of her head nervously, before adding something afterwards. "But uh… hey, good job today. I gotta be honest with you, you're getting much better."

"Heh… thank you." I replied, smiling at her. I felt flattered by her comment. It felt nice to do some training again, especially when you get complimented for the hard work you've been putting into it.

More time went on as we continued our training for another while. And, like all things, our long training session had to come to an end.

"Thank you, Tina." I started, looking at her with a thankful smile. "We've done so much in a span of a few hours, and I really appreciate you taking some time of your day to help."

"It's no problem at all! Helping friends when they need it is the right thing to do, after all. No?" She chuckled, a smile adorned on her face. I held out my paw for her to shake, and once her chuckled quieted down, she looked down at it. She took my paw in her own, shaking it firmly. That, of course, was expected.

However, what I didn't expect was when Tina pulled me close, then giving me a quick peck on the cheek. I blushed furiously at the sudden action. It had caught me off guard. She giggled at my expression.

"That's my way of telling you thank you. But, don't tell anyone about this, okay fox?" She chuckled, and I nodded in response, unable to find my words.

Once it was time to make my leave, I grabbed my bag and walked to the front of the house with Tina, who guided me. After waving goodbye, I started walking towards the direction of my place. I rubbed a paw against my cheek, where she had kissed me.

It made me wonder… was this an act of love? Or was it just a friendly gesture, just like Tina had mentioned?

I wasn't entirely sure, but it definitely felt like more of a friendly gesture.

* * *

 **Oh. My. God. I FINALLY DID IT! Not only that, but this is the longest chapter I've ever written yet!**

 **Anyways, I really do hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so, leave a review or something. Heck, even PM me if you need a word. I'm open for tips and tricks on how to make this story better. I know I have room to improve, don't we all? Francis sure does, and we might be seeing more action next chapter! Ain't that exciting? :o**

 **Have a swell day! Or afternoon. Or evening. Not sure, the time zones are kinda stupid in my opinion. XD**

 **(Edit: Big thanks to Chlooepm, who edited most of this chapter under my watch. I got busy this time, and I'm soon just gonna get too busy to edit these myself. Without her, I'd totes be in the dark.)**


	10. The Sword

**Hiya! This is Chapter #10, and I'm glad I've been able to continue this series without any problems. XD**

 **Well...technically, the chapters unable to save properly was a problem before. But now I fixed it. :)**

 **At least, I think I fixed those damn problems.**

 **So yeah, without further ado (is that how that is spelled?), let's get going! :D**

 _ **Disclaimer: This story is rated T and it contains many things that make it that way. The fighting, swearing and bloodshed has shown itself in the previous chapters already. So, yeah. Oh, and I still don't own Pokemon. I only own 87.8% of the OCs shown in this story.**_

* * *

It was a Saturday afternoon like any other.

I had just come home from my piano classes, so I decided to spend some free time to finish all of the homework I was given. Now, I had absolutely nothing to do. And for me, it was another boring Saturday to spend my time doing nothing and laze around, since procrastinating seemed to be yet another thing that was plaguing me.

As I was lazing about in my bedroom, my mother calls out to me, to find out what I could possibly be doing, especially because it was so quiet around our home.

"Francis!" She yells out my name, her voice coming from the first floor of our home. "Are you done your homework?"

"Yes, I finished all of it!" I exclaimed to her in reply. I was currently laying on the floor of my bedroom, staring up at the ceiling. As I waited for a reply, I exhaled quietly. And, before I knew it, I had gotten a reply I was almost expecting.

"Well, if you aren't doing anything, how about you go up to the attic and clean some stuff up?" She started, and I groaned quietly. "You could sort some things up and throw out everything that isn't necessary!"

I rubbed my face with my paws, letting out another groan. Cleaning wasn't my favorite thing to do, especially when it came to the attic. That place was nothing but a big cmess, and going around it could take a good couple of hours.

Staring at the ceiling had made me feel, admittedly, quite content with myself. It made me think about the important things, such as life and my loved ones. Unfortunately, I had to get up and do as my mother asked, lest I get yelled at or something.

Once I finally got up from the floor, I exited my bedroom and headed towards the ladder that led to the attic. As I made my way to the hallway, I reached up with a paw to grab the string that would bring the ladder down.

I climbed up to the attic shortly after, and I turned on the lights. There were a few stacks of boxes with old knick-knacks and other things inside of them, along with tons of unsorted piles of either old clothing, books, and many other items that couldn't be seen very well. That, and I had no idea why we were still keeping those said items.

Some of the stuff that were unsorted consisted of flattened cardboard boxes, a few broken and worn down flashlights, a few old - but fully - finished colouring books, and some other stuff that I had never seen before.

I crossed my arms and sighed inwardly at the sight in front of me, knowing I had to sort the boxes and other stuff into a proper pile, while also sweeping and dusting around the attic. Nobody really comes up here anymore, minus the exception of my brother who would come up here and scavenge through the crap in the attic. I swear, I always have to clean up after him. But hey, it's something to do, I guess.

A thought came to mind as I stared at the messy attic, and mentally slapped myself in the process.

"Ugh, I should have went over to Bryce's house today." I thought aloud, rubbing the back of my head. I always like going over to his place, whether he knows it or not. Most of the time, though, I do send a quick text saying I was on my way to hang out. Even though Bryce and I are best friends, I probably should let him know that I'm coming over more often, instead of not giving him a warning.

Shaking away the thought, I reminded myself that I had some cleaning to do. The earlier I started this, the earlier I could finish this big task.

I walked over to a stack of boxes and picked one up. It was slightly heavy, but I managed to carry it with ease. Knowing the move Strength certainly had its advantages, deeming to be helpful in situations just like these. It wasn't a bother to carry heavy items because of it, but the excessive use of a certain move can tire anyone out.

Moving over to another end of the attic, I delicately put the box down, being careful not to break the contents inside of it. Once the box was set down, I walked over to the same pile, grabbing another box and bringing it over to the area where I set down the first one. I wanted the attic to look more tidier, so placing them in a corner of the room would do the trick for now.

As I kept moving the boxes, minutes kept on passing by. Unfortunately, I eventually went and made a clumsy mistake, as any average joe would do sometimes. I went to move a box, and I somehow didn't notice that there was another box above it. Moving it caused it to topple over, the contents of the box spilling out and falling right onto me.

Among the items that fell onto me, I felt something that was somewhat heavy fall right onto my head and it caused me to fall backwards onto my rump. I rub the area where this certain object landed on me and I groaned in a bit of pain.

"Ugh… t-the heck was that?" I say to myself as I shook the dizziness out of my system. Once I got my bearings back, I look to what exactly fell onto me from the box, and I looked at it with a confused look.

Finding it beside me, beneath a few clothes which were part of the boxes contents, was some sort of sword, tucked into its scabbard. The cover - or scabbard itself - seemed to be attached to a sort of belt, meaning one would be able to wear it around their chest like a one-strap backpack.

Confused and slightly curious, I picked up the sword that fell out of the box. I turned it in my paws to look at it, and I noticed something unusual about the belt of the scabbard. I could see there were quite a few tally marks engraved into it. After adding them up, I found the tallys added up to a total of seventy-eight. That was a considerably high number, but what could it have meant? I shook off that question, and I kept up my inspection of it.

Gripping the scabbard, I slowly slid the sword out and took a good look at it, holding it from the handle. Looking closely, it was clear the blade itself was dusty. Very dusty. I brushed my paw against the blade carefully, rubbing the dust away. With that, I also noticed the blade appeared to have been dulled.

Grabbing a nearby cleaning cloth, I started to dust off the blade. Once finished, I took a better look at it. It shone somewhat brightly from the light from the attic shining down on it. Unlike Tina's stone swords back at her house, this sword appeared to be like it would be shown in the movies or back then; made from a sort of metal.

"This is… strange. What's a sword doing in my attic?" I asked myself as I held the blade in my paw, turning it slowly to examine it.

As I inspected this blade further, I noticed something very mysterious. Right on the blade itself, near the bottom of the blade or where the blade met the hilt of it, I found that there was some sort of symbols engraved in it. From what I knew, it seemed to be something I definitely couldn't decipher, since it seemed to not be in a sort of universal language. Perhaps it had a deeper meaning to it, and I had no understanding of it of it.

But one thing that was for certain was that it made the sword have a sorts of history to it. A past to it. And that interested me to no end.

After examining the sword for a little while longer and finding nothing, I eventually slipped the sword back into its scabbard, and placed it down against the wall.

"I'm definitely gonna test this later. But first… the attic needs to finish cleaning." I sighed inwardly, and nodded to myself as I went on to finish up the cleaning of the attic.

Eventually I finished up, and dusted my paws off once I had moved the last box to the corner of the attic.

"And done! That took a little less time than I thought." I exclaimed to myself, chuckling as well. After doing a bit of a stretch, alongside a small yawn, I went back over to the sword I set against the wall. I picked it right up, and nodded.

"Hmm… I oughta ask mom about this. Maybe she'd know something about this sword." I said, thinking a bit. I nodded at my idea, and left the attic to go ask my mother about the sword.

After a bit of searching, I found my mother watching TV on the couch in the living room.

"Hey mom? I just finished cleaning the attic and stuff." I called out to her as I went down the stairs. She turned her head to look at me and she nodded to me.

"Ah, good. Thank you." She said, smiling at me. Then she looked down and saw the sword in my paws, and her face lit up with surprise. Before she could say anything, I spoke up.

"Oh, uh… I came across this in the attic. Do you know anything about it?" I asked her, and she nodded to me as she stood up and came over to me.

"Goodness… wow, I had no idea that this was still around." My mother said as she took the sword from me, and took her own look at it. She began talking again once she gave the sword back to me.

"This was your father's sword. He once told me that this sword was passed down for generations on his side of the family. I remember, he even wore this to the dates he took me on, back when we were your age." She explained to me, and I felt astonished and surprised. My father owned a sword that was passed down for many generations? It was definitely cool in my books.

"Wow, seriously? That's awesome, I never knew dad was into swords and stuff." I said as I took another look at the sword. My mom smiled more as she put a paw onto the sword and sighed.

"You know… your father planned to hand it down to you once you would be old enough, but…" She paused, nodding her head approvingly. She spoke once more. "I think you can have it now." She said to me as she eyed the sword for a moment once more, then looked at me with a smile.

I look at my mother surprised. I felt giddy with excitement, like a child at their birthday party getting exactly what they've wanted. I put the sword to the side and hugged her.

"Thanks, mom." I whispered to her, my arms wrapping around her in a big hug. I heard her chuckle a bit, and felt her paw patting my back. She hugged me back, and nuzzled her head with mine a bit.

"Just don't go cutting other's heads off." She said jokingly, and we had a good laugh. I was definitely glad my brother wasn't home to see me find the sword. He surely would have gotten jealous about it. Regardless, he'll see the sword eventually and have a fit over why he couldn't have it. My mother will probably explain to him why he can't have it.

Once we let go of the hug, I went back up to my room and left my mother be. I wanted to examine my new sword more.

I went into my room and sat on my bed, exhaling out of slight exhaustion from running upstairs. Once again, I slid the sword out of its scabbard. I took in some more details to the broadsword that I currently held in my paws.

The blade was probably as long as one meter, maybe a bit more. I looked towards the mysterious symbols on the blade again, and I thought about it once more, wondering what sort of meaning these symbols meant. My mother never mentioned the symbols of the sword, but perhaps I could ask her another time if she knew.

I rub the fuller part of the blade, and I felt a bit of scars and tiny indents in it, even if they weren't easy to see. To me, it proved that this sword had been used in many kinds of different battles.

I look at the tally marks shown on the scabbard belt. What was the meaning of the tally marks? Whatever it meant, it must have had some sort of importance to it. Thinking for a moment, I sigh once again and place the sword back in it's sheath. I feel I'll figure out the meaning of these tallies and symbols in due time.

At that moment, an idea runs through my head and I wonder what I would look like with the sword on me. My mouth curved into an excited grin, and quickly sprang into action.

I slipped on my purple tracksuit, only because I didn't want to get my 'sleeping clothes' dirty. Once the tracksuit was on, I slipped the scabbard's belt around myself. To my surprise, it was a perfect fit. I tightened the belt a bit so it wasn't as loose, then I looked at myself in the mirror.

Looking at myself, I see that my head fur seemed to have gotten longer, like some bangs in my fur moving downwards to cover my forehead slightly, and the fur atop my head was spiked up, looking like a sort of makeshift faux hawk. I think I might just stick with this sort of fur style, because I kinda like it that way.

I look at the purple tracksuit I was wearing. It was a snug fit and was in a good condition, aside from the small tattered parts of it from my training sessions with Tina.

I then shift my stance to look at my sword belt and scabbard. The scabbard had metal plates where the chape (the tip of the scabbard) and the locket (the area where you slip the sword in), like any other scabbard. Other than that, it seemed to have been made by some sort of strong leather, just like the belt of it. I didn't see any sort of ripped areas or places in which it was worn out, which made me a bit curious and surprised that it took no sorts of damage from its previous uses. Perhaps it had been replaced constantly.

I shook the thought away, and continued to stare at myself in the mirror. Maybe I should get myself a new fighting gi, as it would be a bit more appropriate for when I train by myself, or with Tina, or something.

Eventually, I decided to head back down the stairs to test the sword out in the backyard. When I went down to the first floor, my mother noticed me. She laughed a bit, and crosses her arms.

"Francis, you really remind me of your father when he was younger, looking almost just like you." She flattered me, and I turned a bit red from her compliments. I grinned with glee, chuckling.

"Heh, thanks mom. But I'm not a Lucario like he is." I admitted, and she just smiled more, as she came over to me. She puts her paws onto my shoulders and stares right at me.

"You have his fighting spirit, that's for certain. And you have the same ideals as he did, too. Look at you now, wearing his sword and even doing his 'faux hawk' styled fur cut." She said, running a paw through my head fur now, and I blush a bit harder, but I continue to smile.

"Aha, I'm glad I do. I wanna be just like him." I say to her, feeling a sense of pride run through me. "I'm gonna go try testing this sword out in the backyard though."

She nods to me, and gestures for me to head there. "Hehe, alrighty then, go ahead. Just don't hurt yourself with that, okay?" She said with a bit of concern in her voice, and I nodded to her as I ran over and opened the door to the backyard.

Once there, I began to setup my 'test object' for my new blade. I took a stool that was off to the side, along with a block of wood from our old firewood pile that we barely use. I put the stool down and placed the block of wood upon it. Adjusting the block slightly to be completely in place and right in the middle of it, I nod once it has been set atop of the stool properly.

I move slightly away from the stool, so I'm a few meters away from it. I take ahold of the sword's handle using my right paw, then slide it right out of its scabbard. I took a look at my sword, and it shined in the sunlight. I shifted my stance a bit, and took my other paw to grip the sword's handle.

It was a comfortable hold, almost like it was made for me to handle it. I shifted the sword in my paws slightly to look it over once more.

"Gosh… it's crazy to realize this was my dad's, and now it's mine." I said to myself, staring at the sword. I soon adjusted my stance to a more practical one, holding the sword in my paws. If I was gonna wield this, I would need to adjust my fighting style so I could use my sword alongside my usual style of fighting.

Speaking of fighting, using the sword would allow me to gain more access to other kinds of moves, such as Night Slash or Leaf Blade or something. Mostly attacks that have the words 'slash' or 'cut' or something. That's awesome, it gives me a much bigger moveset.

Guess you could say I'm gonna quite a 'cut' above the rest, right?

Anyways, I look at my sword then at the block of wood I setup. I close my eyes briefly to calm myself down as I held my sword tightly in both my paws. I gave an exhale, then jumped forward to attack the innocent piece of wood.

"Hyaa!" I exclaimed as I swung my sword with all my strength, and I gave a good horizontal slash. To me, the sword felt very well-balanced; not too heavy, but not too light either.

Once my paws hit the ground, I look to the side to see the top half of the block of wood toppled over on the ground, cut down with quite precision. Surprising, since the sword was still somewhat dull.

Being a bit dramatic, I flip the sword in my paws carefully, then slide it back into my scabbard. I grinned happily in success, even if I did just cut a piece of wood in half. Pretty sure anyone that's interested could do that.

"That was awesome!" I exclaimed, laughing to myself. I'm so glad I came across this sword in the attic, and I'm also glad my mother told me to get some cleaning done in the attic too.

Once I calmed myself down from the excitement, I began to think about how my friends would react to my new sword.

Bryce would probably think it's pretty awesome, as well as badass. Alice would probably worry about sword safety and wouldn't want me to cut myself accidentally or something. Amy probably wouldn't care as much. As for Tina, she'd definitely find it interesting, and would want to have her own swing with it.

But anyways, I decided to keep training outside to adapt to my new style of using my sword - alongside with my other moves - while also learning how to use sorts of other attacks with my sword as I mentioned beforehand.

Later this week is definitely gonna be pretty cool. My history teacher will be taking us to some monument out near some waterfall sort of area for a day to check it out. I forget the name of it, but I heard it's a really cool place. I just know Tina, Alice, and Bryce are going on this trip, but Amy declined since she said that she has a battle tournament at another place that day. We'll have fun without her, I suppose.

First the sword, and next the trip! It's definitely gonna be exciting.

* * *

 **Donezo, another sort of filler/plot filled chapter! :D**

 **We'll be getting into another thing next chapter, and I don't want to say anything about it! I'm winding up for something awesome, and I'm ready to show you that...NEXT CHAPTER! XD**

 **So until then, stay tuned! I'll post the next chapter as soon as it's all ready and stuff!**

 **EDIT: Big thankies to Chlooepm for the help regarding the rewrite/remake of this chapter.**


	11. Payback

**Hey there, welcome back to this story! Specifically, this chapter. Now, this WILL be an action-packed chapter, as you can see how long this chapter probably is.**

 **We have the first use of POV switches in this chapter, which is pretty exciting!**

 **I really do hope this chapter was worth the huge wait. XD**

 ** _Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon, and any other copyrighted character and/or brands mentioned in this story. I also want to point out, as always, that this story is rated T, due to the swearing, fighting, and bloodshed in some areas. So yeah, reader discretion is advised._**

* * *

I let out a small, quiet yawn. My eyes began to feel heavy, almost feeling droopy. I could fall asleep at any moment, if I may be honest.

Can you tell that I'm just really bored?

Well, you see, I'm sitting at my desk, in history class. My classmates and I all sat around, some chatting amongst each other, while we waited for our teacher to let us know we could get going. We had a school field trip today, so we were waiting for the bus.

Unfortunately, though, the bus was delayed, which only meant that the waiting time would last longer. But, what could we do? We can't have the bus appear from the skies in an instant. There must be traffic on the roads, and we can't stop that. It sucks.

Today's history class might have been like usual; the normal lesson about the World Wars, or watching a documentary about the ones who discovered our country. But, since we were going on this trip, it might be better than sitting around in class, I suppose.

I was cut out from my thoughts once I noticed a paw poking my shoulder. I looked up, then turned my head to the side, noticing Bryce staring at me with an amused look on his face.

"Someone looks like they're about to fall asleep, there." He chuckled, a smirk plastered on his face. He had earphones in, meaning he must've kept himself busy with some music or YouTube videos. "You need some entertainment or something, it almost looks like you're about to drool." I stuck out my tongue at him as a response.

"I'm just really bored right now. If I knew this stupid bus would have gotten delayed, I would skip history class and go do something better than this." I said, and Bryce nodded his head, agreeing with my statement. His eyes trailed around the classroom, watching the other students for a brief moment, before his gaze met with mine once again.

"You're telling me. I'd love to get out of here and go play some video games. Or maybe spend some time with you guys. This trip is going to be as boring as our other classes." He said matter-of-factly, and I couldn't help but chuckle. Typical Bryce, always playing his video games when time allowed it. But, he did make a good point. There were so many things we could do that wouldn't be as boring and as dragging as going on this history field trip.

"Yeah, it would be nice to have the gang together," I replied, smiling at the good times Bryce and I had, along with Alice and Amy. We should definitely make plans to see each other outside of school soon. "I do miss hanging out with you and the girls."

Just as I finished talking, my ear twitched slightly, indicating that I heard someone coming our way. Bryce and I turned our heads toward the direction, and noticed Tina walking to an empty desk in front of the German Shepherd's and mine, sitting on the chair. She wore a simple black t-shirt with a cat on it, along with blue jeans. She also carried her backpack on her shoulders, which looked full of supplies needed for today's trip; an exploration trip.

"Hello, boys." Tina said, smiling as she looked at the both of us. She removed her bag from her shoulders, setting it down on the ground, near her feet. Bryce and I gave a friendly smile and wave to her.

"Hey, Tina. Looks like someone's ready for the hiking trip today." I said, gesturing to her backpack with my paw. She looked down at it, chuckling slightly.

"I really did," she replied, then looked at me. "But, you can't be too prepared, right? I'd rather be safe than sorry."

I nodded my head, agreeing with her statement. She was right, after all. Hiking required many supplies, like ropes, water, a first-aid kit, and many more. She probably carried most, if not all, everything mentioned, which was good. She could help others in case they needed it.

Things went silent for a short while. We could hear the students chit chatting once more, and the sounds of the clock's needle ticking as each second passed by. It was a comfortable silence amongst us friends, though. It wasn't awkward. It felt really nice, just feeling each other's presence.

But, the silence was soon cut off when I've noticed Bryce staring at the belt strapped around my torso.

"Hey, Fran?" He started, and I once again turned my head towards his direction. "Why did you bring a sword with you? It's not like the hiking trip will include some terrifying creatures to fight or anything." He nodded his head towards the said strap, and took a quick peak above my shoulder, noticing a small part of the sword.

Knowing about the hiking trip a while back - back when we all got our permission slips to be signed by our parents, granting us allowance to attend it - I chose to come prepared, deciding to be as lightweight as possible. Sure, the sword may not have been one of the most necessary items to bring for the trip, but it really does look good with my purple tracksuit, which I love to wear.

But apart from the sword, I had also brought some bug spray, a small first-aid kit, and some water as well.

"This sword is seen as a good luck charm in my eyes. When I carry it around, it makes me feel like my father is with me." I replied, patting the scabbard gently. Bryce nodded his head in understanding, knowing what I was talking about. He didn't say anything afterwards, knowing that the topic of my father should be avoided.

Tina, however, was not aware about the topic being avoided at all times. She didn't know what happened to him years ago.

"That actually sounds really nice, Francis." She said, eyeing the sword in its scabbard. "I can imagine that your father must be someplace far, isn't he? That's why you keep the sword with you, so it's like his presence remains with you, right?"

I froze as she spoke those words. My eyes trailed down slightly, and I could feel Bryce staring at me, probably confused about it all. I let out a quiet sigh as I rubbed the back of my neck, almost unsure of what to say. This definitely was not a good time to talk about this topic, not at all.

"O-oh. Well… y-yeah. Something like that." I replied, the tone of my voice becoming cold. I was hoping she would realize how uncomfortable and uneasy I felt about this topic, and move on. I really didn't like talking about my father a lot, since it was a very emotional topic for me. But, she didn't sense my sorts of signals I gave off, and kept at it.

"Where is your father, anyway? You haven't really told me anything about him, from what I remember." She asked me, scratching her chin as she stared at me intently.

"I… I uhh…" I stuttered, now struggling to speak. To put it simply, I couldn't answer her question. I began to breathe much faster than normal, and my heart started to beat at a rapid pace. My eyes were twitching uncontrollably, and my paws clenched into tight fists. Although I could feel my nails slightly digging into the palms of my paws, I couldn't care less.

My mind, it was bringing back my worst nightmare, and my worst memory. The images were brought into my mind; the blood splattered all over the ground, the rain pouring down on me and my father's lifeless figure, the cheetah's sinister, glowing eyes, and the cries of my father as he was struck, then falling onto the ground.

"Francis…?" I heard Tina's voice ringing in my ears, but I ignored her call. I couldn't answer her at all. My eyes trailed over to my right paw, where I unclenched it, staring at the faded scar. A small droplet of blood had mixed into my fur as it dribbled down, and it all reminded me of the moment that cheetah slashed my paw with his shank.

And then the horrid memories of the cheetah's shank slashing my father's chest came into mind. This nightmare… I really hoped it would never come to haunt me again. I couldn't help but to shed a few tears. I closed my eyes shut, hoping no one would notice them dropping, but I could feel a cold liquid landing onto my paw.

I didn't care about the world at this moment. I was just focusing on mourning my father's death, once again. My teeth clenched at the thoughts, and a growl escaped from the back of my throat.

I opened my eyes once again, staring at the scar in my paw. I felt it all. The pain, the suffering, and all of the negativity that had been stored away for many years. They all came back when the topic of my father was mentioned.

All I could think of at this moment, was how I wasn't able to stop the cheetah. I wasn't able to help my father and save him. I was so weak. Too weak. I can't believe I wasn't able to help. How could I just stand there and hesitate like the way I did?!

"FRANCIS!" Tina basically yelled my name, her paws on my shoulders as she was shaking me. I snapped out of my trance, and I looked up at her, blinking a few times.

I brought up a paw to my face, and I could feel that my fur was damp. I had been crying more than I anticipated. I turned my head, looking away from Tina and Bryce, and instantly got up.

"S-sorry… I need a moment." I sighed, walking towards the door of the classroom. I need some time to myself to get everything together. I can't be acting this way during the trip. I need some time alone to feel better, even if it's just a little bit of time...

As soon as I went through the classroom doors, I bolted down the hallway and quickly made my way to the washroom. Once I got there, I made my way towards the nearest sink, and rested my paws on it. My breathing was still going at a rapid pace, but I tried to slow it down by taking deeper breaths. I shut my eyes for a few moments, trying to shake away those bad memories. I didn't need to think about those anymore. I had to be my normal self again, just so I wouldn't worry anyone.

My gaze soon looked up, and I saw my reflection staring right back at me. My eyes were red and puffy from the crying. The fur beneath them was damp and all sticky. I used a paw to wipe under my eyes, trying to dry the fur off just a little. It didn't work as planned, but it did look better than before.

"Come on, Francis. You'll be okay. You're always okay in the end." I mumble quietly to myself, then looked down at my paw with the scar, noticing some dried out blood. I must have clenched my fist a little too hard earlier.

I can't believe I let myself get triggered so easily. Someone would go bring up my father being away and question all of it, and suddenly I'm just not myself. I don't know how to describe the way I was feeling during that moment. It was unusual, abnormal even. Ever since I watched my father die by my side, I hadn't been the same. I had been mentally scarred for life, and it will always stick with me. I'll always remember, and I won't be able to forget. I can't forget.

I huff to myself, looking away from my paw and shaking my head. I need to stop thinking about it, otherwise I'll break down again.

Eventually, I calmed myself down enough and regained my bearings. I bent down over the sink and gave my face a few splashes of cold water, just to clean off the tear stains on my face. Once I was satisfied with my cleaning, I grabbed some paper towels off the rack on the wall and dried my face, and finally headed out of the washroom.

But just as I walked out, someone runs right into me, and I end up toppling over onto my ass. I grunted as I hit the floor.

"O-ow, watch where you're going!" I exclaimed as I rubbed my rump slightly, since I ended up landing on it.

"Why don't you watch where you're going?" I heard the other retort, and I huffed at that. I was already upset, and that made me all moody. And with their attitude-ridden, nonchalant response came a somewhat annoyed reply of my own.

"Why you little-" I started to say, sitting up and opening my eyes to see… Amy? I had bumped into Amy, and she literally towered right over me, sporting a not-so friendly look on her face. Albeit was just a sort of small frown.

"Oh, it's just you." I said, exhaling as I scratched the back of my head. The Flygon's expression didn't change, but she did put out one of her claws to help me up, and I did just that. I took it in my paw, and she pulled me back up onto my feet. I was about to apologize, but she immediately cut me off.

"Hey, don't sweat it." Amy started, crossing her arms once again. "Though, I would like to know what's got you all worked up." My eyes widened, and I got nervous once more. She could tell I was upset about something. At this point, it would be useless to lie, especially to Amy. So I decided to come clean.

"Well, I just…" I started to talk, but I couldn't find my words. After a few seconds, I sighed as I lowered my head. Amy sighed as she put a hand on my shoulder.

"You got upset because someone went and talked about your dad, amirite?" She stated to me, talking in a bit more quietly. I gulped. Amy was able to read me so easily. I nodded silently, and I started to feel my tears coming back. She noticed, and I heard her sigh.

"H-hey, c'mon now! No need to start with the waterworks, my guy. Take some deep breaths, and calm down." She said to me softly, looking down at me. She was showing her kinder side of herself, which she started doing more often for the sake of not getting kicked out of the school. For that, I appreciate that Amy was trying to change her attitude. After a few deep inhales and exhales, I finally spoke back up.

"R-right… sorry, I know it's bad and I shouldn't let my dad's death get to me." I said a bit quietly, now looking back up at the Flygon. She nodded solemnly. It became quiet for a little bit, just the two of us standing in the hallway.

"So… I guess I better get go-" I began as I turned to leave, but then she went and suddenly she interrupted me again. Amy grabbed my shoulder and turned me around, and made me face her. I got a bit confused, because I had no idea what she was doing or what she was up to. After a little bit, she huffed and her expression changed to a sort of determined look.

"Okay Fran, you better listen up, cause I ain't gonna repeat this." She started, glaring at me as she moved me to where I got pinned up against the lockers next to us. I went wide-eyed and grunted from her somewhat roughness. But I understood, and I nodded quickly, lest I don't get hurt. Once she knew I understood, she continued.

"You may think you're at the lowest point of your life, with your dad gone and stuff, while you act like you're supposedly so weak or something, but guess what? Take a look at you, and your supposed fight resume! You've got quite a few good wins under your belt, as well as your very big 'win' against that damn Aaron, even if you did have some help. Regardless of where you're at, you're certainly a very strong opponent to be against. I commend you for that, but with all this moping, you gotta stay strong for the sake of everyone else, because everyone worries for you. Even… me, although it doesn't seem like it. Ugh, what I'm saying is, just stay strong for all of us, okay?" The Flygon stated to me, talking somewhat fast for me, but I understood it all. I stood there, completely dumbfounded, because it was just that rare where Amy would give you some words of inspiration or something similar to that.

As said before, she was changing her sorts of ways of thinking and such, and it's certainly showing. Through her sorts of respect talks and whatnot. Even if she doesn't know how to show an emotion properly, as shown by her shoving me against the locker in order to get me to listen, she still has good intent. Compared to where she was quite a bad apple at the start of the school year, I'd say it's quite a welcome change and I commend her for trying to change.

"I… thank you, Amy." I choked slightly, sputtering on my words from being a bit taken aback from her sort of 'pep talk'. She nodded to me, not saying a word as she let me go and I was no longer pinned up against the lockers by her. She exhaled, and looked away as she brushed a strand of her hair to the side.

"O-okay, glad you understood. Sorta was unsure if I got through to you or not." She admitted, scratching the back of her head.

"Oh, no no! It was good, you did good. I'm fine now, really, so thank you." I replied to her, bowing my head. She gave me a brief small smile, then shifted a bit as her expression changed back to her usual nonchalant demeanor.

"Ahem, you oughta get back to class. They probably are waiting for you, since ya know, you got a school trip today?" She stated, and my eyes went wide once again.

"Shoot! You're right, I probably should get back to class!" I exclaimed, and I turned to leave and run down the hall. As I began my sprint, I looked over my shoulder and back at Amy. "I'll catch you later!" She nodded to me, then she turned on her heel and walked in the other direction, probably making her own way back to her class.

Amy was right. I gotta stay strong for everyone, because they want me to be okay. My father wouldn't want me to break down like this, he'd want me to keep on fighting. I'll keep that up, for everyone's sake. For my father's sake.

I quickly made my way back into the classroom, and as soon as I entered the room, a few of the students in the class turned to look at me and stared for a bit. I stood there, looking around as quite a majority of the room was staring right at me.

"Uh… what?" I asked simply, and everyone seemed to get back to doing whatever they were doing before I had entered the room once more. I strolled over to my desk, and sat down in my chair.

"Hey dude, you alright?" Bryce asked me, looking over from where he sat beside me. I look over at him slightly and nod.

"Yeah, I'll be alright." I replied, and he gave me a thumbs up, then went back to reading his book.

As I sat there, I glanced around for a bit and eventually noticed Tina sitting at a desk in the back of the room. She had her head down on the desk, and her face was covered by her arms. Her ears were clearly drooped.

I frowned, knowing she must be feeling guilty that she made me upset earlier. To be fair, she didn't know that my dad had passed away. I couldn't blame her for that, because I know she was just curious and she had no bad intentions. It wasn't her fault that she didn't know about him.

I inwardly sigh, and I turn around in my seat. I made a mental note to talk to her later; preferably in an area where we were alone, just so no one hears us. I don't want anyone else to know about what makes me snap. It's a weakness that I'm slowly trying to tend to. Tina deserves to know what I've been through, at least. I know her well enough and I trust her enough with this secret.

"Listen up, everyone!" Ms Raven, our teacher, exclaimed. She's a Pokemon, a Gabite, specifically. Although her classes can get kinda boring, she's actually a really good teacher. I could visibly see everyone look towards the teacher. Even Tina moved her head up to see what our teacher wanted to say.

"I just received a text from the bus driver, and they're finally here. So get your stuff together, and get to the school parking lot. Remember to follow the bus seat schedule too!" She said while everyone else seemed to get up out of their seats and go towards to the classroom's doorway. I remembered my spot in the bus seating plan, and I was placed to be sitting beside Bryce, so that's pretty good.

Luckily, I wasn't going to be seated next to Aaron. Or a shit show would commence, much like what happened in the school's gymnasium before.

Speaking of the Charizard, Aaron happens to be in my history class. But ever since Tina and I had defeated him in the gymnasium, he's apparently been avoiding the both of us. Which is a good thing, I find, because we didn't have to suffer from his nitpicking or constant bullying.

Looking across the classroom, I do notice that he's there, chatting away with a female Zangoose. I was pretty sure he was trying to hit on her with the smirk he wore on his face, and his eyes just grazing along her body. I will never understand why he keeps trying with her, because the look she sported on her face made her seem completely uninterested.  
A short while after, Bryce and I followed the students out to the parking lot, and one-by-one hopped onto the bus. The two of us sat somewhere in the middle, and I was able to take the window seat. It was my favorite, because I was able to stare outside the window and watch cars passing by, as well as many buildings and nature itself.

Some time passes, and we've been on the highway for quite a while now. I've come to realize that the signs were indicating that we were leaving the city. It wasn't a surprise, because the forest we were heading to was a little ways out of our area. From what the teacher has told us, the drive was to be about an hour or slightly over that, so this was all expected in the end.

"Hey... Francis." I heard a familiar voice from next to me. I turn my head towards Bryce's direction, and saw his brown eyes staring into my own. It seems like he wanted to break the slightly awkward silence there was between us. "How's the training going?"

"If I may be honest," I started, a small grin beginning to plaster itself onto my face. "It's going pretty good. My skills have been improving quite a lot, almost like I've reached a new level of power. But it's all thanks to Tina, really. She's been really helpful."

I felt proud, really. Although the training with Tina was really intense and pressuring, she did take it very seriously. Whenever we test out our skills against each other, it's almost like we're battling to the death, from the hard blows I've taken from her. She was capable of nearly doubling the power of the move Mega Punch when she uses it, but luckily I was able to block that one move properly when she used it once. It's all thanks to my father who taught me how to block any physical moves the proper way. Otherwise my arms would have been broken many times by this point.

I watched as Bryce nodded his head at my response, before he continued to speak.

"About Tina… Did you really not tell her about your father's, you know?"

My ears dropped at that question, a sigh escaping my lips. I merely turned my head to the side, avoiding eye contact with my friend. I had a feeling that this topic was going to be brought up eventually during the trip.

"Listen, I honestly didn't think she was going to come along and ask that question. I expected her to have potentially figured it out herself when she came over to my place, and understood that he was no longer in the picture. But… it seems I was wrong. I guess it's partially my fault to assume that she knew about it." I said, using a paw to scratch the back of my neck. I could hear Bryce sigh next to me, and was able to tell he was pitying for me.

I turned my head towards his direction once I felt his paw on my shoulder. He was frowning slightly.

"Not everyone has to know about your father's passing, Francis. But… shouldn't Tina at least know this?" He started, and I nodded my head slowly. "It'll be for the better, because she needs to understand your situation."

Bryce was right. It would be better if Tina was knowledgeable about this situation. I let my German Shepherd friend know that I was planning on talking to her once the guided tour of the forest and nearby cabin was done, at the time where the students can explore around for the rest of the day. He agreed that my idea was great, and that he'd leave me to do it before choosing an ideal spot to meet afterwards.

Finally, we had made it to the forest. It had a very simple name, "Oak Tree National Park", and in all honesty, based on the name of the park alone, I had a feeling this trip wouldn't be as exciting as I had initially thought.

Our tour guide was a badger, and when she was giving us a tour of the cabin that was nearby the forest, she was using the same, boring monotone voice the entire time. Her facial expressions looked completely uninterested as she she showed us around, and it almost looked like she did not want to be a part of this, nor did she want to be here.

Eventually, I had decided to ask a question, in hopes that her attitude would have a change.

"Hey, uhh…" I checked for a nametag on her shirt, and read the name. "Miss Aspen? What is that supposed to represent?"

She looked over to where I pointed; a mask of a Zoroark's head that was hanging on the wall next to her. She turned her head to take a look at it, before turning her head once more to look back at me.

"Oh, that's just an ordinary mask. One of the park rangers here carved and crafted it himself. Yeah, that's about it." She yawned, before turning her body and continued to show us around. I facepalmed, and was so glad she didn't see that. I could hear Bryce struggling to hold in a laugh next to me.

The rest of the tour was very uneventful, and boring as heck.

Afterwards, she left us at the starting paths that lead to the forest's many trails. She seemed to have run off to do something immediately, and dismissed us in a quick matter. I suppose she had better things to do.

Once the tour guide left, Ms Raven then spoke up to our class.

"Well, I suppose that was the tour. You're now free to go out and explore this forest." She announced to us, then gestured to the different paths ahead, alongside a few signs as well. "There are many signs and maps placed across this forest to let you know where you're located. If you ever get lost, try to find one of those signs. Okay?"

Once she finished speaking, everyone either said some sort of 'affirmative' to her explanation or nodded. She smiled, nodded, and walked off, going down one of the forest's many paths. A few students followed her, but it was only those three or four students who didn't want to be away from the teacher.

And then there was this huge chunk of our class, just standing around and idly chatting. Some went off to some of the different paths of the forest once they were done, ready to explore.

Anyways, I looked around for a moment, and I found out that Tina was nowhere to be seen. Seems to me she already took off and went down one of the forest's paths already. Maybe with some miraculous chance, I could find her eventually.

Bryce then nudged my shoulder, taking me out of my thoughts and I looked over to him. Alice was with him already.

"Come on, Francis. Let's go exploring this forest. Maybe we'll find something like a fossil, I don't know." He said simply as he shrugged. In all honesty, I didn't really want to find any sort of souvenir from this trip. Except for the gift shop.

"R-right. Okay, let's get going. Lead the way." I replied, smiling a bit. Bryce nodded, then started to lead the way as we all followed him down one of the paths.

I'm really hoping I don't bump into Aaron in the forest, because who knows what'll happen if we cross paths and we're alone. That would be bad news for me.

As we all walked through the paths of the forest, I was able to take in the scenery and environment we were in. It was simply fascinating. The pure silence, minus our steps in the crinkling leaves, snapping of twigs and small branches on the ground. There was a soft breeze blowing across the forest, making the leaves and branches sway. Heck, the fur atop my head swayed in the wind as well. Being in this forest and experiencing all the surroundings, it was just a great relaxing feeling.

In fact, I was so enticed with being in nature like this so much that I didn't realize I had wandered away from Alice and Bryce. When I figured this out, I stopped and looked around me. Using my ears, I listened to the noises around me, thinking I could potentially hear their footsteps or their voices somewhere nearby.

Nothing but the soft breeze and rustling of the leaves of the branches above me.

I sighed to myself, and crossed my arms. Sometimes I get so enticed with something that I just lose track of my surroundings. In this case, it was Bryce and Alice, and I lost them by wandering off and thinking to myself.

Eventually, I shook my head dismissively. It wasn't really a big problem. I'd eventually meet up with them again. For now, going down the current path was probably the best option. Going backwards would be a way to find them, but if I were to do that, they'd be even farther than beforehand. Making up my mind, I made my way down my current forest trail.

As I walked, I eventually came upon a forest clearing. I quickly noticed someone sitting on a rock in the middle of the clearing. It was someone familiar.

It was Tina.

Here she was. I had a feeling I'd run into her in the forest. She clearly wasn't in the best of moods, however, since her ears drooped and she looked at the ground.

I silently exhaled as I shook off any nervousness in me, since I knew I'd have to confess my past to her. Once I got ahold of my bearings, I nodded to myself and I slowly approached her.

However, once I got close enough, she stood up from the rock. I stopped dead in my tracks. She then spoke up.

"Francis… you know you can't sneak up on me." She said softly, but with enough volume for me to hear her. She turned her head to look at me over her shoulder. Her eyes, it really looked as if she had been crying. The fur around her eyes was damp and somewhat matted. I exhaled once more.

"Listen, about earlier..." She started, already speaking up to apologize. I quickly interrupted her, however.

"Tina, wait! Y-you didn't mean to set me off like that, you didn't know." I quickly explained, but she then shook her head and she turned her head to look away from me. I heard a faint growling coming from her. I had a feeling she was frustrated with herself.

"I… should have known better, however. I didn't need to ask that, but I did." She said meekly, and in a quieter voice. I heard her sniffle a bit. I hesitantly took a few more steps forward, getting closer to her. I eventually was behind her, and I placed a paw on her shoulder.

It was silent for a moment, then she turned around to look at me, tears in her eyes.

"Francis… what did I do..?" She breathed out, clearly too upset with this that she can barely talk. She wanted to know, and I knew I had to tell her.

"Tina, I'll tell you." I said as I took a seat on the nearby rock. "You deserve to know why talking about my dad… sets me off." She nodded slowly as she sniffled once more, sitting beside me on the rock.

I told her everything. I told her how the cheetah cut my dad open. I told her about how I fought them all for as long as I could. I told her how I… watched my father die in front of me. It hurts to remember, but I knew it would be better to let someone know the feelings I kept inside of me.

After I had finished talking, Tina was speechless. She hadn't said anything after I had finished. She was silent.

Suddenly, she wrapped her arms around me into a big hug. I returned the hug almost immediately, embracing her close. I could feel my eyes watering up, and simply let the tears drip down onto my face once again. Tina was feeling a little shaky in my arms, I noticed. Perhaps she was sobbing?

After a few moments, I pulled away from the hug and took a look at her. Tina was crying as well, but quickly wiped away the tears from her eyes once she saw that I was looking.

"I-I didn't think it would be that bad… I'm sorry." She whispered, then looked away. She seemed to have gotten just as emotional as I did on a topic like this one. It's understandable, really. Talking about a loved one's death isn't as easy as people would think. It's quite difficult, actually.

I sighed quietly, then looked over at the scenery in front of Tina and I. We both just sat on the rock, in the clearing, for quite some time. I couldn't be entirely sure how long we've stayed here, but we were enjoying the nature around us. It was peaceful, with the soft breeze blowing on us and the chirping of the birds nearby. We enjoyed each other's company as well, even though it was silent.

Eventually, we broke the silence, and I spoke up once more.

"You see, Tina, I just wasn't strong enough to protect him. So that's why, I must get stronger, and continue to do so! I want to be able to protect those that I love from now on." I exclaimed, more determined than ever. Tina understood, and nodded, smiling as well.

"That's good! I'll do my best to help you train as well!" Tina replied, taking my paw in her own and giving it a soft squeeze. She was determined to help me as well. I couldn't help but smile widely.

Suddenly, I felt an impact of something burning hot hitting me right in the chest, and it burnt with a ferocious power. And with that, I found myself out like a flashlight with no batteries.

 **(POV Change: Tina)**

I can't believe it at all; not one bit! Did I really watch that happen?!

One second I'm having a moment with Fran, the next I see him get sent flying backwards with a sudden fire type attack. It came so quickly, we barely even realized it was coming straight for him.

I heard him shout in pain as he was knocked out of the clearing. The force of him getting sent flying was so powerful that he got sent right through a tree. After that, I think I saw him fall into some shrubs and bushes behind that tree, which then fell over immediately after Francis crashed through it.

Upon realizing that it was a fire attack that he was hit with, my eyes widened. I shuddered slightly as I turned myself around to look at our attacker.

I was right. It was Aaron. He crossed his arms as he cackled a bit. I swiftly moved back, vaulting over the rock behind me so I could put more space between us.

"So much for protecting who he loves. How can he do that when he can't even protect himself?" He boasted, gesturing to where he had sent Francis flying. Judging by how the fox hadn't come back from that yet, it's very possible he might have blacked out. I growled at the Charizard, baring my teeth.

"C'mon Aaron! D-don't force me to fight you, you'll lose! I've been training since the last time, I can easily overpower you!" I exclaimed to him, venom in my voice. My threat didn't seem to get through, since he just scoffed.

"And you think I didn't get my own training in? You've gotta be as dumb as a bag of rocks, if you thought I wouldn't even think to train hard myself before I go ahead and face you both again!" He replied, cracking his knuckles and smirking. I think I felt myself tremble. Is it possible that I was scared of him? There's a chance that he was bluffing, but somehow, I felt like he couldn't be lying. The aura he gave off of himself, it was definitely stronger than before.

"The last time we fought, I was caught off guard. This time though, I'm ready for you, and that emotional shipwreck of a fox is out of the picture." Aaron continued, starting to walk towards me. With every step he took towards me, the pit in my stomach grew bigger and bigger. This was the first time I had been afraid of someone in a very long time.

"S-stay back! You're clearly bluffing! You can't be stronger, there's no way!" I said, but it was no use. My voice was shaky, and there was no trace of my usual confidence I have when I talk. He shook his head, as he raised his claw. It started to glow with a metallic hue, and it soon extended slightly.

Metal Claw.

"I don't understand how you could lie to yourself like that. You have those aura-sensing powers and whatnot. You should be able to see straight facts here." He stated matter-of-factly, as he went around the rock between me and him. However, he swiftly turned and slashed at the rock with his Metal Claw attack.

And just like that, the rock that was once there had now been completely broken down to mere fragments. Just one of Aaron's Metal Claw attacks did that. I took another step back, starting to get more anxious about his advances. He stepped over the destroyed rock and got closer towards me. Eventually, I had no more room to back up, as there was a tree behind me.

"Fine, Aaron! You want a fight, you'll get one!" I exclaimed, suddenly charging right at him while I put energy into my paw to ready a Mega Punch attack. Once I got close enough, I threw my fist his way.

However, it never landed.

It was as if time were moving at a snail's pace. I watched as Aaron sidestepped my attack with ease, then used a Mega Punch of his own on me. He was faster, without a doubt. And his attack, as expected, was more powerful than the last time for sure.

His fist landed on my right cheek, and I grunted as I got sent flying across the clearing, tumbling in the grass once I landed. I winced on the ground, rubbing my cheek with my paw.

Pushing myself up on my paws and knees, I tried to catch my breath. Aaron had definitely gotten a lot stronger since our last battle, which proved he's done a lot of special training. I growled to myself. I wasn't entirely sure if I could defeat the Charizard this time. Not alone.

My thoughts came to an end when I felt something hard collide against my torso, sending me back a couple of more feet. I groaned as I landed on my side, and realized that Aaron had hit me with his tail. Although he didn't use an actual move, the pressure from his tail had really stung.

"Hah! And you say you've done some training since our last battle?" Aaron scoffed as he walked towards me. I rolled onto my back, an arm covering the area of my torso where his tail collided with, and looked up at him. He shook his head in disappointment, a quiet sigh escaping from him. "I'm not very impressed with you, Tina. I thought you were better than this."

I bared my teeth at him once again, letting out another growl. Despite the pain I was in, I just had to try to at least cause some damage to him. My free paw was curled into a fist, and I was letting some dark energy surround it. Luckily, the grass was tall enough to cover it, so Aaron wouldn't notice it.

As he noticed I wasn't speaking, Aaron simply continued himself. "Got nothing to say, grem? If that's all you got, maybe I should just end you right here, and right now."

That was the moment I needed. As the Charizard lifted his head up, I noticed he was preparing himself to use Flamethrower. Bits of smoke were coming out of the corners of his jaws; his intentions must be to burn me to death.

But, that was not going to happen. Not right now.

Without warning, I let out a battle cry as I stuck my wrists together, unleashing the charged up Dark Pulse attack that I had been preparing for a short while. Aaron hadn't expected it and wasn't able to dodge. The attack hit him square in the chest, and he was sent back a couple of feet with a loud groan. Once I heard him crashing onto the ground, I quickly shot up on my feet, eyes darting for the fox that had previously gotten attacked.

Looking over at the area where he had initially landed, it still seemed untouched. Was Francis really out of the picture?

A sudden shift and crinkling of the leaves behind me got picked up in my ears, and I turned right around. Aaron was already back on his feet, but he had one of his claws over the spot I hit him with the Dark Pulse attack. He panted softly, but other than that, he didn't seem to seem to have taken that much damage. He huffed briefly as he seemed to glare daggers at me.

"Ya know, I was gonna take this nice and slow." He said with an annoyed tone, cracking his neck slightly. "If you're gonna make this difficult, I think I'm better off going all out from here." He pounded his fists together and made his way towards me.

I gasped a bit, but recomposed myself. If I could deal damage to him, I still had a chance in beating him. I took my battle stance, growling and baring my fangs at him as he came closer and closer towards me.

Suddenly, he seemed to have vanished out of thin air, and to my surprise, he appeared right behind me. I felt the wind shift and felt his presence behind me. I tried to spin around and attack, choosing to use a Headbutt to try and deal some damage.

I hit my head against his, and I just ended up hurting myself. I yelled out in a bit of pain there. Once my bearings were regained, it was clear it had no effect on Aaron. He just seemed to laugh it off.

"Hah, you call that a headbutt?!" He mocked, cackling a bit. "This is a headbutt!"

And with that, he came forward with the same astonishing speed and grabbed both my arms with his claws. I yelled out and I tried to squirm and try to get free, but to no avail. He grinned briefly, then he bashed his head against mine, using a Headbutt attack of his own. He let go of me as he used the attack, and it caused me to get sent tumbling backwards. I screamed in pain as I held the spot he bashed his head against with my paws. His strength was on a whole different level than the last time.

I eventually shook it off, but I was still somewhat dizzy from it. From what I could see though, I saw that Aaron was standing above me. Before I could react fast enough, he grabbed me and lifted me right up, then slammed right down onto the ground once more. I cried out in pain once again, arching my back from the pain from his sudden Seismic Toss attack. I think I felt myself cough up a bit of blood from that one.

So there I laid, in a small-ish crater from his powerful Seismic Toss, spitting up a bit of blood.

I eventually got the strength to sit upwards, and what I see in front of me is Aaron charging up another attack. In his palms, energy was surging and it kept growing and a rapid pace. He was charging up a Hyper Beam attack, and it was obvious who it was for. I grit my teeth as I used the back of my paw to wipe up the bit of blood that dripped from the side of my maw.

"I thought you'd actually put up a fight, but I guess I was super wrong. Time to finish you!" He announced, and the energy that he had been charging within his palms had been released. Pointing his palms my way, the bright, powerful beam was launched towards me. I shut my eyes tightly as I could feel the orange beam getting closer to me, and I readied myself to be hit by the attack, using my arms to shield myself to lessen damage.

However, the attack I anticipated never came around to hit me for some reason.

Upon reopening my eyes and putting my arms down, I see the shadow of a figure who stood right in front of me. Once the dust cleared, my eyes went wide. There Fran stood, using himself as a shield to tank Aaron's Hyper Beam. From what I could see from where I was, Francis had definitely been through some better days.

Soon enough, he got out of his sort of 'shielding' stance and turned to check on me. Kneeling down next to me, he helped me sit up properly.

"T-Tina! O-oh Arceus, are you alright?" He asked me in a worried voice, despite the situation that Francis was currently in.

I was absolutely shocked by what I was seeing at that moment. I've noticed that Francis' tracksuit had been completely ruined; the left sleeve had been completely torn off, and there were patches everywhere from the fire type attack that had struck him on the chest earlier on, not to mention all the tears and rips in the fabric in many other parts of his fur across his body were covered in the familiar red liquid, but one wound stood out the most. On his right arm, the sleeve from his tracksuit had been torn immensely, and it could be clear to anyone that blood was dripping rapidly from it.

"Francis, I'll be fine, but… it's you that I'm worried about! L-like, look at you!" I stated, coughing a bit as I took a paw and felt on one of his wounds softly. I saw him wince hard. Taking my paw away from the wound, I could see the fresh blood on my paw. It was certainly an alarming sight.

"Listen, don't worry about me," Francis said in a gruff voice, panting slightly as he took out his phone, which now sported a crack on the screen. "I need you to call Bryce, and get him over here. He'll help you." He seemed to go ahead and take charge of the situation, since he then stood back up and turned to face Aaron. As afraid as I felt for Francis hurting himself further, I feel like he'll be able to do what I couldn't do, and that was to defeat Aaron.

Speaking of the Charizard, I could hear him laughing his head off.

"Oh wow, what a heroic move!" Aaron mocked as he crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. "Heh, more like a stupid one." Francis didn't respond to him at all. It just seemed he was staring him down. With that, Aaron spoke up once again.

"Listen, as bold as you think you are, can't you understand that you just can't play hero when you're too weak to do so?" He explained, laughing more as he sported a smug grin on his face. I heard Francis exhale, then he took ahold of his sword's handle, and he drew it out. Flipping it once in his paw, he then pointed the end of the blade at Aaron.

"I may be weak, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't protect others!" Francis exclaimed, glaring daggers at Aaron. "Weak or not, I'm willing to take any means necessary to protect my friends, especially from Pokemon like you! So no matter what, I won't let you harm my friends anymore!" As Francis spoke, I could feel his aura rising higher and higher. His voice, it made me shiver.

He was livid. _Absolutely_ livid. And it was clear he had only one thing on his agenda now.

* * *

 **Oh my gwaaaaaaad! What a cliffhanger! XD**

 **Hope you enjoyed, and I hope your hyped for the next chapter! ;D**

 **Peace out!**

 **Edit: This chapter, remade and rewritten! So far, best work that me and Chlooepm have done thus far! Big thanks to her for assisting with this chapter's rewrite~!**


	12. Forest Showdown

**I have never been so hyped to write a chapter. Seriously, this will be good. Real _fuckin_ ' good. XD**

 **Let's get right into this, without any hesitation!**

 _ **Disclaimer: Blah blah blah I don't own Pokemon, blah blah blah this story is rated T, blah blah blah something about bloodshed. Sorry, I want to get into the action. xD**_

* * *

 **(POV: Francis)**

The last few minutes were unbelievable. And not in the good way, either.

Tina and I talked about my past, because she needed to know what happened to me before, why the topic of my father would just set me off. The talk went well, and it felt so good to let all of these feelings out.

Once we felt comfortable, we were enjoying our time together, taking in the wonderful scenery of the nature that surrounded us. It was quiet, and so peaceful. The soft breeze was hugging our fur, and the songs of the birds above us were ringing in our ears gracefully.

We were having such a wonderful time. Talking about future plans to get some extra training in, promising we would protect our loved ones and each other. Everything was good.

That is, until our moment got interrupted.

After I got hit by that Fire type attack from Aaron, I remember being sent into the air, going backwards. I couldn't see exactly where I was going, but I remembered the horrified look on Tina's face. The look on that Charizard's face as he watched me from afar, and that's when everything went black.

The impact of my back colliding against a large tree instantly knocked me out. I wasn't conscious, but I was able to hear very little. I felt my ears twitch as I could hear Tina and Aaron talk, and I felt so afraid for her. Her confidence immediately dropped, and she was terrified. The immense power level that came from Aaron was indescribable, almost like he's spent every second from the past few weeks training as hard as he could.

Just so he could go ahead and beat us up.

I wish I was able to move at that moment. I wanted to protect Tina, and make sure she was left unharmed. But, I couldn't. I simply laid there, unable to move, while I could hear the screams of pain and the impact of moves being used. I could feel the swift movements of the Charizard as he dodged attacks, and Tina's energy slowly diminishing. She was getting defeated, and it was all happening so fast.

Hearing Aaron's threats to end Tina's life right then and there… I couldn't bear any of this. I needed to regain consciousness sometime soon.

Miraculously, that's what began to happen at that moment. My aura was coming back to life, and I could feel my chest heaving up and down as I breathed steadily. My paws curled into fists, and my toes were wiggling around. I could feel my muscles aching all across my body, but I forced myself to push the thought to the back of my head for the moment.

There was more important things to do, and I wasn't going to let anything stop me.

Once I opened my eyes, the bright light of the sun shone directly into them. I used a paw to shield them, and used my free arm to gently push myself up into a seating position. I winced as I did so, and I also ended up coughing out some of the smoke that got into my lungs from the surprise fire attack. I moved my head in a circular motion, relieving some tension in my neck.

When I looked down at myself, I came to realize that my tracksuit was totalled. Completely ruined. Many patches were found across it, and parts of my fur was stained with blood due to wounds taken from the recent attack. Both sleeves were torn apart, but the left sleeve was completely torn off, exposing my arm. The right sleeve, however, wasn't completely torn off, but that was when I realized that a large gash was there, and the red liquid wouldn't stop dripping from it.

It was definitely painful and worrying, but I had other things to worry about at that moment.

I took a quick look around me, scanning my surroundings; I was in the middle of a shrub, and it seems like it helped soften my landing after going through the tree. And what I noticed in front of me, was that said tree, but it had toppled over to the front after I went right through it. That sight certainly shocked me, for sure.

After getting up, I decided to stretch out my muscles. It was painful, but I grit my teeth to hold back any screams of pain. I didn't need Aaron to realize that I regained consciousness. Not yet.

What alarmed me, however, was when I felt Tina's power level get to its lowest point. This wasn't good at all. She was slowly falling into unconsciousness herself, but she still managed to remain strong against the foe. Aaron's power, however, remained the same. In fact, it may have went up as the battle progressed. It's like he barely got a scratch from that battle with her.

" _Time to finish you!_ " Were the last words that rung in my ears the most. The Charizard said that, before he planned to end Tina. And that was when I decided to take action.

I ran through the small parts of the forest, and leapt onto the nearest tree. I covered myself slightly by using the leaves of the tree, just so I wouldn't get noticed. I peeked through the leaves, and the view was terrifying.

The once beautiful clearing had been completely destroyed. The rock Tina and I that were seated on was now in millions of pieces, and the terrain itself had many craters and was full of dirt. And inside the largest crater in the dirt laid Tina, shielding herself with her arms.

My eyes widened once I looked up to the Charizard. His claws were together, and he was preparing one powerful move; Hyper Beam. If Tina were to get hit by that massive beam, she wouldn't be able to survive it.

And that was when I stepped in.

I swiftly used the momentum of another branch to leap into the air, my mind focusing on landing between the two and protect Tina from getting hit. Once I saw the familiar orange beam get released, that was when my feet touched the ground. I threw my arms up and immediately formed an X across my chest, and the powerful Normal type move then hit a target. Even if it was the wrong one.

My body burned from the impact of that Hyper Beam. That, along with the first Fire type attack that struck me earlier on. I could tell that my body took so much damage, but there was no way I would be giving up right now. Not ever.

I blinked, inhaling and exhaling heavily as I gripped my father's blade in hand. Remembering the mere minutes before where I now stood, and reminiscing what happened, I couldn't just idly sit by and watch Aaron defeat Tina and I. I told myself, it was about damn time for me to step in and intervene.

However, I could feel that my body wanted to power down at that very moment. It was as if it were screaming at me to give up. Tanking those two powerful attacks back-to-back can really have its consequences. But, I still had things to do. I can't accept defeat here when my friend's life is in danger. I would have to fight through the pain.

But other than the pain, I felt something that I hadn't felt since the night my dad got killed. It was anger. Pure anger.

He hurt me. And he hurt Tina, one of my close friends.

I narrowed my eyes at Aaron while I made sure I got a firm grip on my sword's handle. I then shifted myself, taking a more offensive fighting stance than how I usually would. I took the time to adjust myself, to where I could wield my sword properly with my right paw. Aaron scoffed as he shook his head.

"Despite all the damage you've taken, you still want to fight? You look like a wreck!" He stated questionably, frowning slightly as he crossed his arms. "Honestly, maybe I really did knock a screw loose in ya earlier on." I didn't reply. I just continued to glare at him, shifting and adjusting my stance slightly.

Eventually, he scoffed and shook his head, appearing to be disappointed.

"Hmph, so be it, Francis." Aaron began, and got into his own proper stance. "Let's tussle, and I'll finally get to pay you back for humiliating me before!" He spoke with such venom, but it wasn't enough to threaten or terrify me. I pushed away the thought, readying myself for the fight.

He then bolted towards me, using his wings for a slight boost forward. His claws once again extended and glowed with a metallic hue as he got a Metal Claw attack ready. I watched carefully as he nearing me and, once he was close enough, he swung his claw at me.

Thankfully, I was ready this time. I quickly shifted my stance, my left leg moving onto the side to help me swing my body to the side, and swung my sword to where his Metal Claw would go. My blade and his claw connected, making a loud, metal clang sound across the clearing.

With that unsuccessful attack out of the way, he huffed and jumped a few meters back. He took one glare at me, claw still shining with the same metallic hue, and went back to swinging his claw at me once more. He was gliding in the air, wings perched vertically along his path, as he aimed for his target.

I shifted the position of my feet, in a stance where my balance will remain intact, and placed both paws on my sword's handle. I used my blade to block his series of Metal Claw attacks as he kept up, going at incredible speeds. My defensive stance caused me to be restricted from going on the offensive, so I wasn't able to put out any attacks on my own.

"Hah, is that the only thing that sword is good for, blocking?" Aaron taunted, continuing his barrage of Metal Claw attacks. I grunted as I kept reflecting and blocking his attacks with my sword while his pace quickened. With how much damage I sustained, it became harder and harder to keep up with him.

Then, an idea came to mind. I let power flow from my right arm, and into my sword. The blade begun to glow a soft white colour, and then I swung my sword upwards, the Slash attack colliding with the Charizard's chest. Aaron got caught off guard and stumbled backwards slightly.

This gave me a good chance to put on the offensive.

With the power remaining charged up into my sword, it continued to glow with the same soft white energy. I charged forward at him and kept swinging my sword, keeping up my offensive attack on him. He started to get overwhelmed by my constant Slash attacks.

However, Aaron seemed to adjust to my attacks in a short matter of time, since he began to keep up with my attacks and even get a few attempted swings of his claw in as well. Either he got faster or I lost speed, due to being injured enough as it is.

We continued our share of attacks, where both of us would either swing an attack, or defend the one that came our way. The Fire type kept slashing his metallic claw at me, and I used my sword to block. And while I used my Slash attack with my sword, he would block with his metal claws. Our attacks were fast paced; we'd swing and slash at each other dozens of times per second.

Aaron then unexpectedly swung his Metal Claw downwards with such immense power. Although I did manage to block that attack by moving my sword upwards, that left me at a disadvantage, leaving everything below my chest and torso open to attacks. He scoffed with a smirk, knowing that his would have happened. He took the opportunity to give a harsh jab to my side with his left fist, using Mega Punch.

My eyes widened from the sudden blow, and I went skidding backwards from the momentum. I fell onto my knees as I tried to catch my breath, coughing slightly. I needed to get oxygen back into my lungs before I could get up and attack Aaron once more. His new strength really proved to me that he's been going to the gym to train a lot; his punch packed some definite _oomph_ to it.

As Aaron began to walk towards me, I nearly finished my coughing and catching some air. I could feel his steps coming closer, and I finally looked up at him. His claws were once again covered in the same metallic hue, and he swung his Metal Claw attack downwards, aiming for my head. I used the ground as a boost, swiftly dodging his attack by leaping into the air.

I stumbled a little once I reached the ground, however, and fell over. I quickly got back onto my feet, glaring at the Charizard. All he did was sigh disapprovingly as he looked back at me.

"You know, fox," Aaron began, shaking his head a little. "You're making this so hard for me. Dragging this out is no fun for me!"

His voice became louder as he spoke with annoyance, and I noticed that he retracted his claw. It seems like he was done using Metal Claw.

I hadn't spoken a word, but I didn't need to; my body language said everything I wanted to. I went back into an offensive stance, this time with no sword. It was dropped when I was punched by the Fire type earlier on.

He approached once again, attempting to send a punch my way. His fist was surrounded by flames, so it was definitely a Fire Punch attack. Thinking quickly, I put my paws together and created a bone with aura. When he came close enough, I swiftly sidestepped his attack and whacked him with my bone a few times, using Bone Rush. This attacked sent him tumbling to the side, and he grunted a bit from the super effective attack. With a quick flip of my long bone, I took a stance as he got back up.

"Hmph… not bad, not bad at all." He admitted, using his claw to wipe up some blood that dripped from his maw. "You certainly haven't been slacking off since that last time, but I haven't either!"

He suddenly opened his mouth, a small ball of fire forming at the back of his throat, and he then spat fire towards me, using a variant of Fire Spin. His attack surrounded the entire clearing, meaning there was no way out of this. Then, he came forward as his fists were once again surrounded with fire.

I managed to dodge his first Fire Punch attack, but the second one collided with my cheek. The impact of his fist stung with the flames it packed, and I grit my teeth from the pain. I then pushed back against his fist, merely getting away from the flames.

When my eyes locked to his own, I definitely saw his look of confidence falter for a short moment. With the stunned look on his face, completely distracted by the thought of what happened, I swung my bone of energy toward him, using Bone Rush once again. The Ground type attack hit him directly, and he backed away for a while, avoiding the effective move.

I tried to take the time to shake away the burning sensation I felt on my cheek. His Fire Punch attack was capable of causing burns temporarily, and I didn't want to deal with any more pain than the one I was in right now.

However, he gave me no time to recover, as he sent some Air Slash attacks my way. Using the energy bone, I broke through several of the attacks that were coming towards me. As I broke the attacks up, I felt the bone start to break apart with each blow.

"You're talented, but talent can only go so far against perfection!" He bragged as he then sent a Fire Blast towards me, once he seemed to get bored of sending Air Slash attacks my way. But just as I deflected the last Air Slash, my bone broke apart and dissolved, leaving me wide open. I gasped as the Fire Blast collided with me, and upon impact, it sent me flying backwards and onto the ground.

I once again laid on my back, a burning sensation coursing through my body from Aaron's latest attack. I coughed and wheezed, smoke from the harsh flame getting into my lungs. With this, it makes me feel like Aaron is just that dedicated to his training. If I weren't his foe, I would have some big respect for him.

I could hear his footsteps approaching my direction, and he soon crouched down next to me. He tilted his head, crossing his arms slightly as he sighed.

"Ugh, just look at you." Aaron spat, talking with a bit of venom in his voice. "I can tell you're breaking down, but you continue to power through all of this pain? I like the eagerness to keep going, because that just means I can keep beating you down." I was still in the process of being in pain from his last attack, still wincing and struggling to move a muscle.

I felt his claws grab my ripped up track jacket as he pulled me up, but my feet weren't able to touch the ground. Closing my eyes, I took a breath. The pain was almost restricting me to move any muscles, but I mentally prepared myself to brace for any attack that Aaron could bring my way at this moment.

But, that attack never came.

Instead, I felt a strong, scaly figure wrap around my neck. The grip was loose, but tight enough to hold me up. Aaron's claws ended up letting me go, and his tail then wrapped around my neck. I immediately began to gasp for air as his tail begun to tighten up around me. I struggled to free myself from his grasp. All I could do was sputter and cough.

Able to lift up my arms, my paws began to tug on his tail as I could feel his sharp scales gently rubbing against my skin, nearly leaving small cuts, but I was not successful in doing so. It wouldn't budge. He wouldn't budge. I began to struggle more frantically, squirming to get free. He cackled at my effort.

"No one's gonna help you, so give up! You're gonna die here all alone, fox!" Aaron exclaimed as he began to tighten his tail's grip on my neck. I screeched, gritting my teeth as I got choked by him.

 _Was this really going to be my end?_ I thought to myself as I could feel my eyes beginning to flutter, my vision slowly becoming blurry. All I could see was Aaron's smug grin as he had me hoisted up, choking me with his tail.

But then, just as I felt my body growing unconscious, Aaron got attacked from behind. A grunt could be heard from the Charizard, and his tail's grip on my neck loosened up. I became free, but I ended up collapsing onto my back as I took in deep, sharp breaths, getting air back into my lungs. Aaron fell over as well, tumbling over to the side from the attack. The attack itself looked like it sported dark energy, so if I were to guess, it was a Shadow Ball attack.

Looking to where it came from, I saw it was Tina. She barely stood up straight, and seemed to be panting hard. It was clear she took major damage from fighting Aaron head-on beforehand.

Just as I decided to make my way to Tina to check up on her condition, I felt a claw on my shoulder. Aaron grabbed me and forcibly threw me backwards, making me tumble on the ground. I hopped up as quickly as I could, and I then see another Air Slash coming my way. I had no time to react to it, so I took another attack of his head-on. I propped my arms up to cover my face to attempt to block.

This attack sent me right out the clearing and go flying through a few bushes and other plants. Eventually, like last time, I got stopped by a shrub. I grunted upon the impact, but it was better than going through a tree again. In fact, I may have gotten some splinters in my back from crashing through the tree beforehand.

I sigh inwardly as I struggled to get myself up. His type advantage attacks against me were really taking a toll on me.

I felt a sort of stinging from my arms. Upon further examination, it appeared that more cuts seemed to open up from that recent attack. It was visible that it was worsening with each second, since the fur around the cuts were dampening with red fluids.

With an idea coming to mind, I took out the small first-aid kit that I brought along. Opening it up, I found that I didn't have much to work with. A few band-aids, which wouldn't do much, and some gauze. I quickly took the gauze and wrapped it around both my wrists and my forearms as well. This would stop the bleeding for the moment, but I know I'd have to get some proper medical attention after this.

Once I finished covering the cut parts of my wrist with the gauze, I closed the kit and threw it aside, no longer having no good uses for it anymore.

I wasn't sure if Aaron knew my current location, but I wanted to play it safe. Perhaps I could sneak around and surprise attack him. With that, I left the bush and began to sneak back towards the clearing. Hopefully Aaron didn't go after Tina, otherwise I'd really never forgive myself for letting that happen.

As I sneaked past a couple of trees and shrubs, I could hear Aaron's voice elsewhere. Somewhere near, yet far at the same time.

"Come out, fox!" He called out to me, seemingly looking for me in the place he was standing. "You must really be scared if you're hiding from me! So much for proving to me that you were strong!"

I shook my head dismissively. He was trying to make me come after him, but I know fighting him like that won't work. That'll just get me taken down quickly. I need to play this strategically.

I took my time sneaking around, making sure I don't encounter Aaron once more. With that, I eventually found my way back to the ruined clearing.

There, I saw two familiar figures; Bryce and Alice. They were checking on Tina, who was currently sitting up against a tree. Luckily, it seemed Alice brought a first-aid kit of her own, and was tending to Tina's wounds. She was currently wrapping bandages around a part of her left arm. Bryce eventually noticed me stumbling into the clearing, and spoke up.

"Holy crap, Francis!" He exclaimed, running over to check on me now. "You look like you're in a worse condition than Tina is!" It was definitely true; Tina endured quite a bit, but I did have it worse.

"It's not as bad as it looks..." I sputtered a bit while I went over to lean against the same tree that Tina sat against. Obviously, I was lying to myself. It was as bad as it looked. Alice shook her head, while Bryce looked as frustrated as a beaver who couldn't chew through the wood of a tree.

"Look at you! How are you thinking you can beat Aaron appearing like that?!" Alice yelled with a worrisome tone, coming over my way to check on my wounds carefully. She touched one of my gashes on my arm, and I winced easily. Perhaps Aaron did a lot more to me than I initially thought.

"Exactly! Let me help you fight, you need me to fight him!" Bryce commanded, growling a bit. I couldn't let him get involved; this was my fight, and I wouldn't forgive myself if I let others help me fight. Especially if they ended up getting hurt.

"N-no! I need to face Aaron alone, and prove to him I can take him without help!" I exclaimed, looking around to try and sense where Aaron was now. "If you or Alice were to get hurt here, I wouldn't ever forgive myself!" I kept searching the surrounding area using my aura, but to no avail. I lost track of where Aaron had gone to.

"Francis, are you insane?!" Alice yelled as she held my arms and shook me slightly. "If you continue to go like this, you'll burn yourself out!" I huffed a bit, quickly taking her arms off of me and I went over to my sword that was stuck in the ground. Picking it up once more, I kept searching for him.

"I'm gonna die if I don't give my all to Aaron right now!" I said, gritting my teeth. Frustration has begun taking over me, but slightly. Where could that Charizard be?

Suddenly, I sensed his aura. Coming up from beside me. He gave me no time to react as I was then hit with a harsh Double Edge attack, so strong that it sent me right through another tree. I landed on the ground a few feet away, grunting from the rough landing.

He then managed to climb over me and he began to use Mega Punch directly on my face, hitting me with hard lefts and rights. With each slug he gave me, my vision continuously got more blurry. And red.

"You're pitiful!" He mocked, laughing aloud once more as he continued his assault on me. I started to sputter and cough once more, feeling blood drip from my maw again. I struggled more and more, but to no avail. I was stuck under Aaron's might.

Could this really be it for me?

 _...no, I can't let it end for me yet!_

Suddenly, I felt my aura grow higher and higher in my body. It kept growing and growing, to where I could no longer keep it stored inside me. Letting it out in one huge rush, I yelled out. As if it were a huge aura explosion, the power caused Aaron to be sent flying right off of me. My face and cheeks stung from the punches, and I think he opened up another wound from that barrage of attacks, since I felt blood drip from above my right eye.

I quickly got up, and gripped my sword in my paw. Flipping it a few times in my paw, I took my fighting stance once more, now with the Swords Dance effect on me. Aaron got up quickly and shook his head, growling a bit.

"You're very persistent! It'll be much easier for you to just give up and die!" He yelled as he charged at me once again, extending his claws out to do some more damage with his Metal Claw attack. I shook my head as he approached. He swiped his metallic claw at me as I swung my sword, and we clashed once more.

"Never!" I retorted, countering with sword attacks of my own. "I ain't going down, especially from the likes of you!"

He started to use Mega Punch every now and then, nailing me on the cheek with each time he did it while also getting some Metal Claw attacks in as well. However, I kept blocking and tanking his blows. I did the same to him; throwing a hard Mega Punch his way while slashing my sword at him as much as I could too.

We went back and forth; trading blows for a good while. He punched me, I sent a punch back. He slashed his claw at me, I blocked and slashed back with my sword. I grit my teeth, and he did the same. We both had the fire to win. Neither one of us were going to back down.

Then, we both connected punches with each other at the same time; his fist hit my cheek, and my fist hit his. We both got sent flying back in opposite directions from the blows we sent to each other. I hit the ground and grunted hard. My cheek stung hard with that attack.

I quickly sat up as I held my cheek in pain, wincing slightly. I was currently in relentless pain, but that doesn't matter.

Looking over at Aaron, I could see that he got up, but seemed to be stunned. He appeared exhausted, but wasn't ready to give up either. This was my chance, since I could take him down while he's stunned.

My eyes moved to look at my sword in my paw. I huffed, letting air out, then inhaled. I gripped the sword, letting aura charge up within me. I grit my teeth as I charged up, then I bolted towards him.

"C'mon, I ain't done yet!" I exclaimed, running towards him as I now held my sword with both of my paws. Gripping the handle, I allowed the sword to contain my energy again. This time, it glowed with a darker energy. Once close enough, I swung my sword, sending a Night Slash attack his way. The attack collided with him straight in the chest, and he got sent flying backwards. I grinned to myself, and kept it; my attacks continuing to hit him directly.

With a few of those attacks out of the way, I then threw myself towards him, using a Take Down attack. We both hit the ground with that attack, and he seemed to have taken some considerable damage. I did as well, since the price that came with using an attack like that. Despite the pain, I couldn't stop here; not when I'm this close to finishing him.

However, I saw that he wasn't as stunned now and he tried to swipe his claws at me, but I thought fast and rolled off of him. He kept trying to slash his claws at me again, but I hopped over his attempted attack and I grabbed the collar of his hoodie. I heaved and threw him upwards, and although he didn't get much height, it gave me enough time to send energy into my paw for an attack.

"You're gonna get a punch outta this one!" I joked slightly, charging more power and energy into my right paw, which was clenched into a fist. Once Aaron came down, which took about a second after I initially sent him flying, I swung my fist upwards, using Sky Uppercut. My fist connected with his chin, and he got sent flying upwards once more, this time going much higher. He went through a few of the branches above him, and more into the sky.

Thinking fast, I jabbed my sword firmly into the dirt beside me to have both my paws free, and I placed my palms together. This next move would definitely be my all-or-nothing attack.

"Alright, Aaron!" I began, yelling at him as the aura in my paws grew larger and larger. "This last attack of mine will definitely finish you!" Once having another charge, I disconnected my paws from each other and a huge ball of aura was there. With my Aura Sphere complete, I then hurled it upwards at him. The Charizard's body was now losing his momentum, and began to fall just as my attack impacted with him.

With that, an explosion was created in mid-air, causing a huge cloud of black smoke to fall from the area in the sky and spill from where the attack connected. The smoke ended up falling onto where I was, and I ended up getting blinded from the smog.

Regardless of if I managed to defeat Aaron with that attack or not, my body was giving up. With that, I collapsed onto my back and heaved hard, exhausted from the amounts of energy I put out in order to even come close to fighting him.

The smoke cleared after a bit, and that's when I got enough energy to sit up. Looking around for a moment, I saw the unthinkable.

Aaron was still standing.

Despite his body now sporting a bunch of cuts and bruises, he still appeared like he wasn't finished bringing the fight to me just yet. Like me, his clothes were more tattered, but less so. He now seemed to sport a more agitated expression on his face, while he glared right at me. His claws were clearly clenched, too. He was sporting a look that I've had for the last 10 minutes or so.

Except the difference between me and him was that while he still was in the condition to fight, I no longer was. I put everything I had into that Aura Sphere, and with that, I was out of energy.

I was literally defenseless now.

He seemed to tilt his head to the side, just enough to crack his neck a bit, then nodded as he pounded his fists together and begun to make his way towards me. I coughed slightly, using a paw to wipe a bit of blood off my maw once more.

"Haha… guess that last attack didn't finish you after all, huh?" I said meekly, and he came over to lift me up from the tattered remains of my tracksuit.

"Yeah, it didn't. Plus, those one liners were so cheesy that I think I got lactose intolerant from it." Well, at least he was straight forward about it. He shrugged for a moment, then moved his claws to my neck to choke me. He held me up by my neck, and choked me.

Like the last time, I sputtered and struggled to get free. This time, however, I had no strength to fight back. Plus, the guy's grip was as hard as a Metapod who just used Harden. At this point, any attempts at fighting back were useless, since he would just block any of my weak attacks.

"I guess you've really given up now, huh?" He quietly asked, seemingly talking in a mocking tone. "Seems to me you've run out of fuel, so I'll put you out of your misery now." Curving his maw into a sort of sadistic grin, he seemed to be charging up a Fire type attack with his mouth.

There was nothing I could do now; I could only run for so long before he could catch up to me, and here he was. He caught up to me. I was out of energy, and I was about to pay for not fighting harder.

I closed my eyes, and I think I took my last grasp for a breath before I fell unconscious.

 **(POV Change: Tina)**

"Tina! Stop, you need to stay here!"

You know, with how I am, I wasn't gonna let him take the win for us! He helped me, now it was my turn to help him. I felt the energies being thrown around; Francis putting one attack out after another, and Aaron doing the same. However, the difference was immense. The fox's energy was draining at a faster rate than the Charizard's energy was.

That wasn't a good sign, that's for sure.

Alice, however, thought it wasn't a good idea for me to move yet. She had me sitting up against a tree that hadn't gotten affected by the attacks from Aaron and Francis earlier on. She managed to wrap some gauze around my arm, where I had initially pointed to and told her it was hurting.

Despite the pain, however, I still thought I needed to help Francis; no matter the consequences.

"Alice, let me go!" I growled softly, and struggled a bit. The Arcanine shook her head.

"No, Tina!" She retorted, frowning slightly. "Letting Francis go is one thing, but I won't let you go too!" Clearly, she didn't understand the situation at hand. If I didn't go, Francis was gonna die. He was literally gonna die. And I think I'm the only one who could help him out here.

"Just… let me fight! That idiot thinks he can win alone!" With Alice pinning me against the tree, I couldn't move myself. I kept trying to get free, but to no avail. She really didn't want me to go chasing a fight that I didn't have a good possibility of winning.

Suddenly, I felt the pressure go away. I was no longer being pinned down.

I open my eyes to see that Bryce pulled the Arcanine off of me. I tilted my head slightly, and I looked to the German Shepherd for answers. He seemed to exhale softly.

"Listen, I get it." He started, and he then gestured for me get going. "He helped you, and now it's your turn." With that, he helped me up. I nodded to him, smiling a bit.

"Thank you! I'll make sure he'll be okay!" I assured Bryce, then sped off in the direction where the massive amounts of power were being thrown around.

They were far away from where I was, in another part of the forest. Clearly, their battle escalated elsewhere from the destroyed clearing that we were once relaxing in. It escalated, and then some, evident with how damaged some parts of the forest were. The view of trees that were toppled over or parts of the ground and bushes ripped up completely, to be honest, really gave me the shivers.

Suddenly, in the distance, I heard a huge sort of impact. Like, an explosive had gone off elsewhere. It was an attack, for sure, but who received it? And was it effective? Too many questions without answers, and the only way for them to be answered was if I were to get my fuzzy hind over there.

However, there was one thing that was clear; it was a massive attack packed with a huge amount of energy. It was so strong that I felt it from where I currently was, and I almost lost my balance from it. With that, I quickened my pace, fearing the worst was about to happen to Francis.

I finally get to the place where the initial impact of a massive attack was, and there was still smoke leftover from the attack's impact. But, I still managed to make out two figures. It was Francis and Aaron, no mistaking it. However, it was clear Aaron was the victor of their bout, since I could visibly see the Charizard holding the fox up by his neck, intent on choking the life out of him.

From where I was, I saw Francis' eyes flutter for a moment, then they ended up closing, and he went somewhat limp. I gasped inaudibly, and realized he most likely lost all his energy in the fight. Aaron was at the point where he was about to finish him off.

I grit my teeth and huffed, for I couldn't bare to watch this sight any longer. I jumped out from the tree I hid behind, and charged dark energy into my right paw as I went towards him at a fast speed.

"Get your claws off of him!" I growled, baring my dark aura-filled claws and swiping at him, using Shadow Claw. Aaron didn't see this coming and got hit in the back, and I heard him yell out in both surprise and pain. With that, his grip on Francis was loosened, and he ended up dropping him. I quickly thought fast and jumped to catch the fox before he hit the ground, which ended up with him falling atop of me. At least I was able to cushion his fall.

I quickly shifted to carefully place Francis on the ground, and I placed my ear close to his chest to check if his heart was beating. I heard his heartbeat; faint, but still there. To my luck, he was still unconscious. Glad he didn't die on us.

But, regardless of that, it was clear Francis had failed to take Aaron down.

I then felt a claw on my shoulder, and I was thrown backwards. I grunted as I tumbled, rolling on the ground for a foot before I got stopped by a nearby tree. My back stung, since that was where the tree had 'caught' me. This just added to my current pain in my back from the previous showdown.

While I winced, I turned my head to see that Aaron was making his way towards me. He appeared battered from the previous fight, but still had a lot in his tank.

"You really don't know when to quit, don't you?" The Charizard mocked, lifting his other claw to wipe off a bit of blood from the side of his mouth. "If you're back here, that just means you're just asking for more beatings." At least the fox managed to put in some work to damage this guy. Sly, sly fox.

But, that goes to show; I'm definitely not at my 100%. But still, Francis wasn't either, and he kept fighting. I'll do the same too.

Aaron stopped. He seemed to stand a few feet from me as he crossed his arms. Perhaps he was waiting for me to try and get up. If that was the case, then that's exactly what I'll do.

I gave a hefty exhale, before I shifted to bring myself up. Using the tree for additional balance, I stood up and coughed for a moment. I took a breath, then I smiled. And, for some reason, I felt my laughing. So, I did just that. Aaron looked at my quizzically, as if I were the insane one.

"The hell are you laughing for?" He asked, seemingly not amused. "You're about to lose! Are you really going that hysterical for losing?" I shook my head, taking one of my paws to wipe off a bit of blood off my cheek, similar to how Aaron did so before.

"I just find it so damn funny…" I started, looking at the ground for a moment before I then used Extreme Speed to get up close to him. "...how you're about to get bamboozled!"

I whispered that last part to him before I initiated my attack pattern, and I recall his expression; pure shock and surprise.

With me being close enough, I put dark energy into my paw and used Dark Pulse on him, making my attack collide head-on to his chest. With that, he gave out a loud grunt and got sent flying backwards. Effective, it seemed. From where I was, it seemed he was about to fly into a tree. Not on my watch; he would get as much damage out of me as I could muster.

Using Extreme Speed once more, I rushed over to in front of the tree before he could collide with it. I began charging up an Aura Sphere as he approached.

"How's it feel to be tossed around like a rag-doll, huh?!" I yelled as I launched my orb of aura at him. It impacted with his back, and I heard him grunt once more as he fell onto the ground face first.

To my surprise, however, he seemed to recover quickly. He got up, and tried to swing his tail at me in an attempt to get some damage in. I ducked under his tail, and used Low Sweep, causing him to get swept up off of his feet. His face had surprise written all over it.

In a swift act, I quickly take a grasp of his tail and I spin him around once before I then let go, allowing him to be sent flying a few feet away from me. An homage to a certain plumber who fought against a sort of turtle.

Jokes aside, an idea came to mind with how I could take him down for good. Using my left paw, I started charging up and quickly throwing orbs of darkness; a continuous Shadow Ball barrage. All the attacks hit in succession, and I kept it up to the point a huge cloud of dust began to form where he was. I couldn't see him, but I still knew where to aim at.

Meanwhile, with my right paw, I charged up a new attack; an attack that I had been practicing. Perhaps it'd be a good time to test it out on Aaron, and make him wish he had just stayed home today. Hopefully I had enough energy to use this attack, however.

Regardless, I was putting all that I had against Aaron here.

"This is it!" I exclaimed as I then shifted my positioning, moving so that the paw with my new energy could be pointed directly at where Aaron was in the cloud of dust. "Flash Cannon!" Exclaiming my attack, a bright beam of metallic energy was then blasted towards Aaron. My attack collided with him, and that initiated a huge explosion. I was forced to shield my face from the smoke and dust that got sent in all directions. I couldn't help but cough and sputter.

After a bit, the effects of the attack had cleared up. And to my surprise, he still was standing, ripped up clothing and all. He laughed as he limped and slowly made his way towards me. I couldn't tell if he was slow because he was taking his time, or because he had sustained too much damage to move faster.

My heart sunk. I failed too, and I ended up exhaling and falling to my knees.

"I… I… w-what... ?" I sputtered out, unable to accept that I couldn't take Aaron down. "How?! That was… my best attack…" The Charizard seemed to just scoff as he came over to me, and kneeled down beside me.

"You're this clueless as to why I survived that attack?" He questioned, seemingly unable to hold back a laugh. I said nothing, as I was still trying to regain my breath.

"It's simple, really." He began, talking as if he were the smartest in the world. "Take into account that you used Flash Cannon, a Steel type move, on a Fire type, such as myself. Kinda stupid how you didn't realize that, especially since I thought you'd be a little more smarter than that."

Dammit, how could I have not realized? I completely forgot about type advantages and disadvantages during battles, due to the heat of the moment. Pun intended. But still, I got careless, and it was my fault I hadn't thought of every component of a battle.

Now, here I am; on my knees, out of energy, and practically surrendering.

Wait… did he really sneak a compliment of all things into that insult?

"You know," He started, as he then took one of his claws under my chin and moved to caress my cheek, which caused my eyes to widen while I felt my face heat up. "Getting this close to you, without anything happening, it really makes me realize that you're absolutely stunning..." The Charizard smirked slightly, and I ended up shuddering as he caressed my cheek. With that comment, I couldn't help but blush more. For a brute like him, he had a sort of way with his words. It was as if he no longer had his brash and rude tone of voice, and it he spoke in a more calm, gentle way.

Regardless, it was somewhat unsettling, especially since we were in the midst of a fight against each other and now suddenly, he's hitting on me.

"But alas, it's too bad that I have to take your life." The fire type said with a shrug, as he then extended his other claw, preparing another Metal Claw attack. I shook with fear, for I knew what was going to happen next.

He was going to kill me. Then finish Francis off. And there wasn't a damn thing I could do about it. Being out of energy like this sucks…

And I can't believe I let myself get bested by this guy.

 **(POV Change: Francis)**

Once again, I had blacked out. This time, from Aaron's tight grasp on my neck. He choked me out.

I floated around in my consciousness; nothing around me but a dark void. It felt as if I were in the vacuum of space, except the difference here was that I was able to breathe. The way I drifted through the void was strangely… relaxing.

However, sounds of explosions from elsewhere set me off. It separated me from the relaxation I was feeling, and now I was a bit more aware of what was going on. I remembered what I was doing. I remembered what was at stake.

Aaron was still at large, and I needed to wake the heck up. Now.

And just like that, I blinked and suddenly, I was back in the forest. I gasped and took air in, letting it into my lungs. Sputtering a bit, I sat up and groaned hard.

Gritting my teeth, I rubbed the part of my neck that Aaron had squeezed in order to make me go unconscious. I took slow breaths after a short while, and my brain began to tell me that everything in my body was hurting. It shot throughout my nervous system, and I fought the urge to yell out in pain.

However, I questioned what was happening. How in the world was there energy being thrown around? Who could Aaron be possibly battling against?

My eyes then lit up in realization. The energy, it was familiar. It was Tina's.

Suddenly, a massive blast goes off nearby, shaking me out of my thoughts. One of them sent an attack, and the sound of an explosion could be heard shortly after. My aura was able to tell that this was a powerful attack, but the real question is: did it really end this battle entirely?

Worried for the safety of the Grem, I managed to prop myself up onto my feet, and slowly made my way over to the clearing, where Aaron and Tina would apparently be located. One paw was used to lean myself on a few trees that remained standing, keeping my balance as I walked. Every step was painful, and I wanted to yell out in pain as I did so.

But I ignored it all as I kept on walking towards the clearing.

Once I got to the clearing, I saw a horrifying sight. It seemed Aaron had Tina on her knees, and it was as if… he was caressing her cheek? I raised an eyebrow as I kept myself hidden behind a fallen tree. Why was he doing that?

Regardless, it was clear the grem had once again been defeated by Aaron, but it did look like she managed to deal a good amount of damage to the Fire type. But, judging by the Charizard's sudden change in demeanor and his expression changing back to that deranged grin of his, I had a feeling something bad were to happen in the next few moments.

And I was right; he then extended his claw out, a metallic hue surrounding it, activating Metal Claw once more. With that, I lost it. I don't think I was able to watch this any longer.

Suddenly, I could feel my body gaining some energy, my aura flaring back to life. It's as if my body was giving me one last go at this. With that, my legs began to carry me to the area where the battle was taking place.

Once I got close enough to the Charizard, I raised my sword above my head, readying myself to swing at him at the right moment.

"This oughta teach you not to touch Tina like that ever again!" I exclaimed loudly, grunting as I swung my sword at a speed that surprised us both. He shifted himself to deflect my attack, but something was up with him. Aaron seemed to be struggling, his Metal Claw attack barely able to keep up with my sword's slashes and speed. I could hear the Charizard grunt and growl with each point of contact.

"You never know when to quit, do you?!" Aaron exclaimed in a gruff tone, seemingly frustrated that he couldn't keep us down.

With those words, he opened up his jaws, fire spitting out and surrounding him like a vortex, using Fire Spin. I quickly jumped out of the way, avoiding the possibility of getting burned. He used the Fire type move to give some space between us, and I felt a growl escape from the back of my throat.

"Shut up, Aaron!" I retorted, beginning to charge towards him once again. "You don't seem to know when to quit, either!" Once I was close enough, the Charizard immediately took advantage and released a Fire Blast attack, hitting me head-on. Despite the burning sensation I felt throughout my body, I kept on going.

I could feel parts of my fur and clothing becoming scorched as I kept on running, but I paid no mind to it. Eventually, the top of my tracksuit slipped right off of me, results of it being torn up to shreds from the intense and brutal battle.

What Aaron hasn't noticed as I got hit by his Fire Blast attack was that I managed to swing my sword with a Slash attack right through the powerful Fire type move, reducing the damage I had taken.

As I continued to charge toward the Fire type, I noticed that Aaron held a look of both shock and exhaustion, which meant that this entire battle was finally taking its toll on him. Even though I felt tired and was currently in bad shape, this gave me an advantage, as I could feel I had loads of energy left to finish this battle once and for all.

I charged up some energy into my sword once I got close enough once more, I went to do another slash of mine. However, Aaron seemed to catch on to my battle style, and he jumped back as I sent him a slash.

"Your attacks are so easy to see now!" He claimed, readying an Air Slash attack while he cackled slightly. "There's nothing you can do to defeat me now!" He flapped his wings, and sent the blades of air towards me. They were fast, and I had no time to react. They hit me directly, and I yelled out in pain as I was sent flying backwards. I hit the ground after flying a few feet, and I tumbled into a sort of small stream of water, splashing into it slightly.

I tried to sit up, but I couldn't stop wincing. Gritting my teeth, I forced myself to do so. I looked to the front of me, and I could see Aaron approaching, even if it was at a slow pace. He was limping. Injured.

I huffed, and looked down at my paw, now dampened with the stream's water. I was frustrated as well. How could I possibly take him down? I did everything that I could against him, pulling out all the stops. But, to no avail. He still stood, albeit not as tall as he was to begin with, but he still was standing.

As Aaron kept approaching me, I bent down and picked up my sword, now all soaked in water as well. I whipped my sword, trying to have the droplets of water go away, but they wouldn't budge an inch. A look of confusion spread across my face as I then decided to try to wipe away the water with my free paw, but the results remained the same.

Suddenly, I felt my aura flare to life once again, this time rushing through the arm that held the sword. A bright, flashing light shone from the tip of my sword and the stream of water beneath it, causing a small whirlpool to make its way up the weapon I held in my paw.

My eyes widened at the sight. I couldn't believe what was happening at that moment. Never had this happened before. It was like my sword was absorbing the water, nearly taking on a new form. It was strange, yet so mesmerizing.

 _"Let the strength of your aura use the power of the Water element, my son."_

That voice… Could it really be? I knew it wasn't my subconscious speaking to me, because the voice sounded so different, yet familiar. A voice I hadn't heard in many years, one I missed dearly; my father.

I shook away the thought for now, I would think about that later. I had a battle to finish, and I noticed as the Charizard had stopped walking, watching the scene in front of him unfold with a look of pure shock. He didn't know what was going on, and so did I, but I knew I have to trust my father's words and take it.

Closing my eyes, I let all of my strength into my right arm, my aura rushing through my veins, and onto the sword. My focus remained on the water, wanting it to encase around my sword. I could feel the whirlpool of water rising up higher, some droplets of water dampening my fur, by just a little. My aura had changed almost instantly, giving me a new sorts of strength I had never felt before. It felt like my Fighting type capabilities have been completely traded over, now replaced with Water typing.

I peaked open an eye, and I gasped. My sword had taken a completely new form. Its width and length had grown incredibly, almost taking the shape of a shell. It shone a neat sapphire blue, and you could visibly see water flowing inside of the shell-like shape.

Razor Shell. A somewhat powerful Water type attack, and perfect against a Fire type like Aaron.

I let air out from my lungs, getting up while I calmed down from the sudden surprise. Still standing in the small stream, I took my battle stance once more, taking ahold of my water-infused blade in both my paws. Despite being in a calm state of mind in order to keep up this unorthodox attack, I had strained breaths. My battle-tattered body was on the brink of failing, and me blasting past my limits was just making any of my ongoing injuries worse.

But, Father's words… I knew I heard him. I won't let his advice go to waste!

"This… this is the key to taking you down!" I exclaim, voice full of hate while I charge right at him. "You're going down now, Aaron!" Like me, the Charizard managed to shake off the surprise from the sudden creation of this attack, and had his chance to reactivate and extend his metallic claw.

"Tough luck, I ain't going down from another trashy trick of yours!" He retorted, prepared for my approach with a fighting stance of his own. His extended claw was positioned above his shoulder, ready to slash down at any moment. His other claw remained in front of him, ready to block out any attack that could come his way.

My eyes trailed around me, looking for an opening that could be useful to land a successful blow. At that moment, it's almost like time had slowed down as I ran towards the Charizard. I could feel my subconscious speaking to me, analyzing which direction I should go to. In order to hit Aaron successfully, it's important to have planned out your next move.

Which, in this case, wasn't always the case for me.

Once my mind had finally become clear of thoughts, time seemed to have come back to normal. My eyes darted to my right, where there stood a broken tree. My direction changed, and I continued running towards it. I then used the momentum of the broken tree to leap into the air, my sword above my head, preparing my attack.

I slashed at him as soon as I got down close enough, and Aaron responded with a swipe of his claws. Our attacks collided, and I felt water particles flying off of the sword itself alongside a few sparks as well. The tension was unexplainable. Me and the Charizard glared daggers at each other as we kept up the pressure of our clashes, neither of us backing down from our attacks.

Soon, he pushed me back, by swiping his other claw upwards. Luckily, I blocked it, but I ended up sliding backwards. I didn't lose my balance, but Aaron used the chance to zoom forward at me to attack me with swipes of his metallic claws. I planted my feet firmly on the ground to stop myself, then swung my sword as he went to swipe.

Sparks and particles of water were sent flying with each point of contact.

Before Aaron could land a Metal Claw attack on me, I jumped away, and used the opening to prepare an Aura Sphere attack with my paw, sending it towards him. Once it made contact, I ran in his direction, sword in paw, and landed a successful hit across his chest. The Charizard grunted loudly at the super effective attack, and he fell to a knee.

His torso was covered in some water, slowly dripping onto the ground below him. His exhaustion was really taking its toll on him now, and I could tell by the flame on the tip of his tail. It used to look so lively, the flame large and healthy. Now, just by at looking at it, it had decreased in size, strength slowly diminishing.

"W...What're you looking at, fox?" Aaron growled, pushing himself back up on his feet. "The flame on my tail means nothing. I've still got the strength to destroy you!"

With those words, the Fire type used his wings to send himself gliding through the air, coming towards me. His speed also seemed to have decreased, which made it easy for me to leap up into the air, slashing the Razor Shell attack across his back as he flew under me. Once again, Aaron grunts from the pain, his wings giving out as he crashes onto the ground.

I swiftly land back onto the ground, yelling out in pain as my legs give out from the constant pressure. With that, I fall onto a knee for a moment to regain a bit of energy. However, I couldn't stop here. I got right back up, gripping my shell-like sword and looking over at Aaron.

The Charizard looked to be very close to going down. He may have gotten up from the last fight, but it looked like he was about to drop, judging from how shaky his legs were.

It was time to finish this.

I charged right at him once more, brandishing my shell-shaped sword. Despite looking like he was about to drop, he still put his claws up, Metal Claw already activated. We repeated our past movements, another fierce clash breaks out. This time, I kept up the offense. I began to quicken my slashes and swings, and all Aaron could do was back up and do his best to defend against my attacks. He was getting overwhelmed quickly, and it was clear from his frustrated expression that he knew that he was.

"You can't contend with me anymore!" I claimed as I used Agility, my speed doubling to where I begin to move around him to attack at a more aggressive rate. Aaron tried to follow my movements in order to deflect and block my attacks, but that no longer became something he could do. Soon, he became overwhelmed, and he received every single slash of my Razor Shell strikes. Water droplets flew in every direction.

With every slash, however, I noticed the shell of the sword's 'upgrade' beginning to crack. That must have been why dews of water flew right off of my sword with each clash; my ability was slowly breaking, and my aura couldn't hold this new move for much longer.

That meant that I needed to end him with one final blow, and make it count.

In one quick movement, I went directly in front of the Fire type and I jumped up, planting my foot firmly against his chest and flipping right off of it. This caused him to stumble backwards and lose his balance, but that wasn't enough to make him fall over. He was so weakened to the point he seemed to have lost the energy to keep his Metal Claw active.

Completing my backflip by landing a few feet away from him, I charged at him as I prepared to strike him one final time with my Razor 'Sword'.

"Alright, stay down!" I exclaimed as I got close to him, and swung with all my might. My sword came into contact with him, and just like that, I felt the energy within my sword shatter and become free. Water splashed in all directions; getting all over my battle-broken body, Aaron's body, and the ground around us. But, that didn't obscure the slash at all.

It was successful; after a moment, Aaron fell hard onto his back. Exhausted, he seemed to have deep and heavy breaths. I don't blame him, as I was feeling the same. I fell onto my bottom shortly after, succumbing to exhaustion just like he was.

But, I wasn't done. There was more to do. I needed to end him once and for all.

I brought myself to my feet once again, even if my body cried for me to stop. I grit my teeth, shook my head, and told myself to stop. This needed to be done. Going over to him, I examined his condition.

The sweater he wore was completely destroyed, much like the top of my tracksuit. Meanwhile, the rest of what he wore had many tears and rips in them as well. The places where I had slashed him were still damp with water. Looking closely, he suffered wounds of his own; cuts, bruises, gashes, you name it. It was just as bad as me.

The main condition that caught my attention, however, was the flame on his tail. If anything, it wasn't even worthy to be called a flame anymore. It was faint, but there it was; a flicker of a fire. That was all that remained of this Charizard's lifeforce. If this went out, he would… he would definitely no longer be part of this world.

I huffed, and went over to one of the puddles of water that remained from my last attack. Carefully, I put the sides of my palms together and dipped my paws into the puddle, creating a sort of makeshift cup with them. With the water in my paws, I went back over to Aaron.

Going back over to where his minuscule flame was still lit on his tail, I prepared myself to end put out what was left of him.

But… I hesitated. Why did I hesitate?

Something in my gut told me to not do this. But why? Aaron deserved what was coming to him. Every single thing. And if I did this, he wouldn't be able to go and torment anyone else. I'd be doing the World a favor by getting rid of a scum like him.

But even so, was this really what I wanted? If I went through with this, I'd be no better than he is. And then, I'd be framed for being the bully. That's something my Dad didn't raise me to be like.

I looked to Aaron; he was down for the count. He wasn't gonna do harm in this state, that's for sure. Not just that, but he must've learnt his lesson from this fight. Otherwise, I suppose I'd have to surpass my limits to beat him again.

I exhale as I turned, moving to empty out my palms of the water elsewhere as to not have any of it get on Aaron's tail. Sparing him was the best option in this case. Stooping down to his level wasn't the way of doing things. Not my way, at least.

I kneeled down next to him, and I put my arms around him in an effort to try and lift him up. He was certainly heavy, that's for sure. I managed to do so, and I ended up carrying him on my back, like a makeshift Pignite-back ride. I heard Aaron speak to me as I did so, however.

"W-what the hell…?" He questioned, seemingly unable to move at all. "I thought you-"

"Aaron, don't speak." I said simply, carrying him slowly but surely. "Just focus on keeping your energy up. Neither of us would want your flame to go out." I heard no response from him after my statement. I did hear him grumble something, however, but that was too inaudible for me to hear properly. Maybe my hearing was going out, too.

I had no idea where I was walking to, though. I was just trying to retrace my steps. But, that was difficult to do when it was now hard to see a good few feet in front of me. Too much red in my eyes.

However, I heard someone call out to me. A familiar voice.

"Francis!" Tina shouted as I saw her run up to me, my ol' sword in her paws. I nearly forgot the relic of my late father, and I inwardly cursed.

"H-hey, Tina," I sputtered, even starting to struggle speaking. "Don't worry; he isn't dead. Just knocked out."

"But… but didn't you want Aaron to be... " Tina began to say, but then she began to fumble with her words, and eventually sighed and gave in, like I did. Knowing her, she understood exactly why I did what I did.

"...let's just get back to the main cabin; they'll take care of us and our wounds."

* * *

 **oh my gawd it's done lmao**

 **Heya, I hope you enjoyed this action-packed chapter that is almost as long as the previous chapter! Thanks for reading, and remember to review if you have any questions or tips for me! :)**

 **See ya in the next chapter!**

 **Edit: Jeez, this took way to rewrite! This portion is done, and as always, massive thanks to Chlooepm for the help!**


	13. The New Plan

**Oh hey there! Glad to see you back here to read this next chapter.**

 **Also, I'd like to thank the user "lord typhlosion" for that review of yours. I'm glad you were satisfied with last chapter, dude. Or are you female? I'll never know. XD**

 **You, the reader, will definitely enjoy this installment of Something Fluffy, Something Sly. At least, I always hope people enjoy this. ;)**

 ** _Disclaimer: I, the author of this story, does not own Pokemon or anything else mentioned. OCs included. This story is also rated "T", since there is bloodshed in quite a few places and/or parts of this story._**

* * *

 **(POV: Francis)**

"Oh my Arceus!"

A familiar feminine voice rang in my ears as I walked through a couple of bushes, Tina by my side. She offered to help carry the Charizard and guide the both of us, since my vision still remained red and somewhat blurry.

Speaking of, Aaron had fallen into unconsciousness as we carried him, clearly very weakened from the battle he had with Tina and I. Sparing his life was the best possible decision I have made, in all honesty. I'm sure that everyone would agree with me.

Once we got close enough to the figure who spoke, I realize that it's Alice, with the familiar German Shepherd standing next to her. Bryce quickly came over to help us place Aaron onto the ground carefully.

"It seems like you two finally beat him." Bryce remarked, looking down at the Fire type. I nodded my head in response, sitting on a nearby rock to relax for a bit. I groaned from the immense pain I feel throughout my body, as it stung more than it ever has.

"Heh… We won, alright." I said, and let out a few coughs. Another painful groan escaped from my lips.

Alice then came over to me, shaking her head disapprovingly. She kneeled in front of me, wet cloth in her paw, and she began to carefully wipe some of the blood from my face.

"Look at yourself, Francis," she started, her movements gentle as to not hurt me. "If only you had agreed to let Bryce and I help you two, Tina and yourself would not have been this badly injured."

My vision became more clear, and I could properly see that Alice had let out a huff after she spoke. I do understand where she's coming from, and I appreciate that both she and Bryce wanted to step up then and fight to the best of their abilities. I felt touched with their bravery.

Looking over at Tina, I notice that she was holding her arm. Upon further investigation, she must be covering up a large wound. Letting out a sigh, I turn my attention back to the Arcanine.

"Don't you worry, Alice. I'm going to be fine." I said, giving her a small, reassuring smile. I used an arm to help myself stand up, and I winced in pain from the sudden movement. I shook away the thought. "We should probably head back to the cabin, though. To get these wounds treated."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Bryce came over to my side, offering to help me walk, but I simply refused. Instead, I walked over to Aaron and scooped him up once more, placing him on my back like before. His head rested comfortably on my shoulder and I held onto his legs, so he wouldn't slip off. He carried many muscles and was talled, but was surprisingly lighter for an above average sized Charizard.

"Hey, Francis?" I turned my head to look at Bryce, who held a look of concern. "A-are you sure that you want to help him, after everything he's done?" Alice turned her head to look back at us, seemingly agreeing with the German Shepherd.

"He makes a good point. I feel like it isn't one of the best ideas you've come up with." Alice said, siding with what Bryce had to say.

I let out another sigh. I understand where they're coming from, because Aaron has done more than enough damage to Tina and I, for the second time. But, I would have to explain my current actions to them, just so they can understand my reasoning behind all of this.

"All right, all right…" I began, catching everyone's attention. "I know I had my chance to end Aaron back over there, but I didn't. Because it felt wrong. I refused to stoop down to his level, and become a murderer. I'm not that type of person; I know I'm better than that."

My tone might have sounded stern, but I wanted to get my point across to everyone.

No one said a word after my explanation. The lot of us kept on walking, slowly making our way towards the directions of the cabin. I notice that Bryce went over to Tina, his arm supporting her as she had an arm wrapped around his shoulders, helping her walk at a somewhat quicker pace.

The sing-songs of birds above us were ringing into our ears, the chirping calming, yet graceful. It made the walk peaceful, even though we all knew it wouldn't last long, once we would reach our destination.

After what felt like half an hour, we finally arrive at the cabin. There was a park ranger outside, and it seemed like they were looking around. Perhaps for us, since the gang and I have been out for quite a while, and missed the meeting point and time.

Once we got close enough, the ranger noticed us, especially the condition that Tina, Aaron, and myself were in.

"Oh my goodness!" A Zangoose began, running towards our direction. He held a look of concern. "What in the world could have possibly happened to you three?!"

On the way back to the cabin, we had all come up with a back-up story to say. We didn't want to say the actual truth, because if we were to mention about our big battle out in the clearing, we would have gotten in massive trouble with the school. It was up to Alice to speak up for all of us.

"Well, we were walking around the forest together, and found this very nice clearing, so we decided to spend some time there. Suddenly, a figure comes out of nowhere and attacked them! My pals did their best to fend for themselves pretty quickly, but… It seems that they got away. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see what it was, or who it was, since they were wearing a hood over their head to hide their identity. Heck, we barely got to see what kind of species they were, they were covered head-to-toe!"

The park ranger nodded his head slowly, clearly shocked by our 'story'. It seems that he bought, to our surprise.

He turned around, grabbing his walkie-talkie that was attached to his belt, and spoke into it. None of us were able to hear, but we took a guess that he was warning the other park rangers of a suspicious figure walking about in their park. Once he turned back around, he put away his device and looked at us.

"Sorry about that, students!" He apologized, then gestured for us to follow him into the building behind him. "How about we head inside the cabin and take care of those wounds?"

With that, we all followed the Zangoose and stepped inside of the cabin, where we made our way to a large room. It resembled a lot like a treatment room, with cabinets full of first-aid kits, and other medical supplies. The park ranger helped us lay Aaron down onto one of the beds, and Tina and I sat down on a bed each.

We awaited as two new figures entered the room; a Chansey and a Goodra, where they each tended to our wounds. The Chansey was able to use Healing Wish, a move that would typically heal any teammate, while the Goodra was making her own medicine, crushing plants, berries, and other sorts of natural remedies.

The whole treatment process went by smoothly, and was absolutely painless.

Later on, the ride back to school was quiet. None of us wanted to speak about the event that had happened in the forest's clearing. However, once Tina, Aaron and I got all patched up, we found out what sorts of injuries we had.

Tina had a badly sprained ankle, and she was told not to put any pressure or weight on it. She was given some crutches to help her keep off that foot, not to injure it any more. The large gash on her arm was stitched up. Other than that, she was doing just fine.

Aaron had woken up from consciousness shortly after getting patched up. He was confused at first, but once we all explained what happened, he simply nodded. He only had his left arm wrapped up, along with a few smaller bandages to cover up any cuts he had gotten. Luckily, he was okay.

I, on the other hand, had the most injuries. Both of my arms were terribly scratched up, a few gashes here and there. They had gotten stitched up and covered up in bandages. Some various small cuts had gauze on them, preventing them from bleeding any further. These were found on my face and chest. There were also one noticeable burn mark on my body, as the fur in that area had been burned off. It was located on my left shoulder, and was well taken care of by the medicinal remedy by the Goodra.

Unfortunately, some of the scars will remain permanent on my body. It's not pleasing to hear. But, the thought of it is that it'll make me look sorta badass.

Once we had gotten back, I offered to walk Tina back home. Even though she had crutches to support her, I figured that I could still help her out in any way possible.

"Thanks for walking me home, Francis." She said as she slowly wobbled towards her front door, as I followed behind to make sure she wouldn't trip or fall over.

"I… Uh…" I hesitated, scratching the back of my neck. "It's no problem at all, Tina. I just wanted to make sure that you'd be okay. After all, you're a great friend of mine."

I heard Tina chuckle, and watched as she slipped one of her paws into her pocket, searching for her keys. Once she found them, the took the right one and sliding in into the door's lock, turning it. As we heard the slight click of the lock, we took the key out and pushed open the door.

She then turned to me, a smile plastered on her face. I couldn't help but to blush, looking a little embarrassed. She giggled in return.

"You know, you're quite adorable when you get nervous." She stated matter of factly, and I felt my response get stuck in my throat.

"W-what?" I stuttered, staring at her nervously. "I… Don't know what you're talking about." Tina can become very playful at times, seemingly finding a way to get under my fur and toy with my emotions. I know she doesn't do it to be mean in any way though, since it's almost like a brother/sister type of tease. It's not that I don't like it, it's more like something I'm still getting used to.

The grem giggled at my reaction, though, and began to lean in. I looked on at her, confused on what was happening, as she held a small smirk on her lips. And suddenly, she pecked my cheek quickly, resulting in me blushing as red as a squeaky clean firetruck.

Tina couldn't help but to giggle once more, before she entered her house carefully, turning around as if ready to close her door.

"You know," she started, a smile forming on her face. "I think you got the heart to get Niku. You two fit together quite nicely." She finished, and slowly shut the door behind her. I stood there, all alone, and blushing for a mere second, and instantly shook away the thought I was tranced in.

I chuckled to myself, then decided it was time for me to head back home.

"Francis!" I heard my mother call out to me once I entered the house. Her feet shuffled on the floor as she began to walk towards my direction. "How was your school field tri-"

Once she walked around a corner and saw the condition I was in, her eyes widened. And within a split second, her expression went from shock to anger. Clearly, she seemed quite mad, and I raised both of my paws, insisting that I was alright. However, she chose not to listen, and instead gave me quite the earful.

"Just look at yourself! You've been completely battered up like a doll!" She spoke loudly; almost yelling. She then proceeds by removing the bandages and gauze that covered up my wounds, wanting to inspect them further.

"Hey, I'm alright, mom." I said sheepishly, watching as he unrolled the large bandage from around my torso. "At least I'm not in a wheelchair or anything, right?" I sighed, knowing that this how she was going to react once she saw me. She overreacts quite a bit when I get into a fight and get injured. But hey, that's how a mother is, after all. Protecting her children from harm.

Throwing away the old bandages and gauze she removed from my wounds, she sat me down on a stool and took a closer look at them. She noticed that some bits of my fur had blood remaining on it, but other than that, everything seemed to have been okay. She walked away to grab a cloth and pouring some water on it, then coming back once she had taken off the excess water from it.

As she cleaned off the blood with the cloth, she spoke to me. "Francis, I truly understand why you're doing what you do out there. You're doing what you think is the right thing to do, but…"

I watched her as she let out a sigh, ears drooping slightly. Her gaze soon met mine, as I decided to continue speaking for her, almost knowing what she had meant. "...you think that I'm going to get killed out there, don't you?"

However, I didn't get any sort of reply from her. What happened next did surprise me, though. She put away the cloth shortly after cleaning the remains of the blood off from my arm, and she hugged me. My arms remained by my sides, almost uncertain of what to do. I was still surprised by the unexpected action.

"I… I'm just afraid that you'll die the same your father did. The thought absolutely terrifies me." She started, her voice almost sounding like a whisper. "Every time you go ahead and have a battle against someone like that… It scares me. I'm afraid that you'll die battling against someone that you have no chance against."

I heard her sniffle, possibly holding back tears. I felt one of her paws rubbing my back soothingly, as her arms still remained around me. I've never really seen my mother this way before, but I know that it showed that she truly cared for me and wants to continue protecting me, no matter what. I soon returned the hug, my own arms wrapping around my mother's waist and holding her close.

"I understand… It can be hard to believe that your son is the one who would do anything to protect others, even if it means risking his life for them. But…" I started, closing my eyes and I took a small breath. "I just do what I think is right. Dad has done the same all of those years ago, when he protected me. He's done what he thought was right, even though it cost him his life. What counts the most to me, however, was he gave it his one hundred percent."

I turned my head to look into my mother's eyes, who just watched me silently. A small smile seemed to have formed on her face. She seemed to be thinking about what I had just said.

"Do you think I can do it, too?" I suddenly asked, breaking the silence. A simple nod was the only response I got, before our hug had ended. My mother then grabbed the cloth once more, gently cleaning my muzzle with it. Her mood seemed to have gotten up.

"You'll always continue to remind me of your father, Francis." She chuckled quietly, just before her expression became serious once again. "I understand why you do your battling, but… Please, just try to keep it all to a minimum from now on, alright?"

I nodded my head, and this was going to be a promise I will be keeping. I closed my eyes as I felt the cloth continue to clean around my wounds.

"Also…" I heard my mom say, and I peaked open an eye to look at her. "Whoever has taken care of your wounds, I want to know her secret for work. They've all healed up so nicely."

Nodding my head once again, I chuckled softly. I closed my eye and enjoyed the nice moment I was having with my mother.

But… A thought came to mind. Was I really turning into my father?

 **(POV Change: Aaron)**

I couldn't believe this at all. I had gotten beaten by that fox, once again.

Despite having the help of that grem during that first battle with them a while ago, it doesn't really matter. She still somewhat helped him this time again. They both managed to defeat me. Which meant that, they now have two points, while I remain at a whooping zero points.

Now, isn't that just great?

In all honesty, it sucks. How can I, a Charizard, can't put an end to a damn fox and a grem?! It seems too simple, yet I only messed it all up entirely.

My mind kept wandering around, thinking of what I had done wrong during those two battles. Could it be that I had maybe underestimated them? As well as their strength? Or it could possibly be me, making me think that I'm one of the strongest students in the school, falsely giving me a large boost of confidence?

Maybe I just… Wasn't good enough?

 _Come on now, Aaron. What are you talking about! This is no joke. You are the best at what you do!_ My subconscious told me. I couldn't help but to huff at the voice in my head, and I shook away the thought.

Who am I kidding? I'm absolutely terrible.

Here I am, currently laying in bed. Most of my body was covered up in some bandages, and was currently blinded in my right eye, due to some gauze covering it up from a small injury I had gotten.

I couldn't remember too much after I had supposedly passed out while being carried, but I woke up on the school bus as we made our way back to the school. I've been told that two nurses took care of me, and that I was going to be fine within a few days.

But now, speaking seriously. This was the time to face the true facts. Despite going to the gym nearly every day to not only work out, but work on my moveset, I still remained weak. Nothing seemed to have helped me become strong. Even if I were to go past my limits, it still wouldn't be enough to defeat Francis and Tina.

Yes, before you ask, I happen to know their names. I might seem like the type of person who bullies nearly every other student in the school, but trust me, I'm not like that whatsoever. I do spend time to study at home, but I struggle to keep my grades above the class's average. I suppose I'm just not that great when it comes to school subjects.

The only way I get to deal with this, is by simply bullying students who either look weak, or I don't like in general. I've only come to realized that I let all of this get into my head, and it made me think that I'm this large figure that can mistreat anyone that I want. But, no. After getting defeated by that fox and grem, it helped me come back to my senses.

It seems like it's about time that I make some changes. Instead of being a terrible person who bullies and battles others, I should become a good person. From crude to soft. I nodded to myself, almost satisfied with my thoughts.

Someone then barged into my room, not bothering to knock first. I turned my head, squinting from the pain, and I could see that it's my roommate, Shiva, a wolf whose fur adorns a purple-ish hue, as well as an eye-patch covering her left eye. A faded scar was found over her right eye, but it was something she refuses to speak of.

Shiva and I have been roommates for about seven or eight months. I moved out of my parents house, because they simply don't like me as much as they used to. When I came to this neighborhood, I bumped into Shiva, who accepted to take me in her small, yet cozy apartment.

Ever since I moved in with her, she's helped me with my training. She's a pretty tough wolf, in all honesty. Shiva is able to handle any hits I throw on to her. Also, her paws are always covered in some bandages - fighting tape, if you must - and her body is pretty toned.

All in all, she happens to be a very good and close friend of mine.

Though, as much as I love to have her company, now wasn't a good time, especially when I'm trying to rest up.

"So, Aaron, you doing good?" She asked, a quiet scoff escaping her lips as she crossed her arms. "Cause it really looks like you came back from an intense war or something."

I groaned. I couldn't believe that she would barge into my bedroom, only to tease me about not only my condition, but also how I once again underestimated my foes.

"S-shut it, Shiva. They were really strong this time." I retorted, a bit of anger in my voice. A cough then came out of me, and I mentally cringed at myself. I just made myself look a lot weaker than I currently am.

Well, not that I think I'm actually weak.

"Uh huh, sure. And I thought that "The Amazing Aaron" would never be bested by some weaklings, such as that grem and fox you keep blabbering about." She giggled, shaking her head. I couldn't help but to growl at her response, while rolling my eyes. Sometimes, Shiva can get on my nerves, but I know that she doesn't really mean it. She treats me like her little brother. And, to tell you the truth, she does feel like an older sister to me.

"C-could you just leave me alone, please?" I started, pointing a claw the door that was behind the wolf. "I would love to return to my state of peace and quiet, thank you very much."

However, Shiva didn't seem to have comprehended me, and shook her head, a smirk plastered on her face. She then came over to me, sitting on the edge of my bed. She placed a paw on my shoulder, rubbing it gently. I wasn't sure what she was up to, but it was almost comforting to me. I couldn't help but to blush slightly.

Then, she leaned in to whisper something to me.

"You know… You should probably just befriend them first, to get under their skin." I nodded my head, letting her continue. "Once you find out their weaknesses, use that against them, and you'll be able to defeat them. Got that?"

The tone of her voice as she whispered nearly had a shiver run down my spine. But I understood where she was coming from. That plan… It was absolutely genius.

Shiva then stood up, walking towards my bedroom door, before turning and waving her paw at me. "See you later, fire-gator!"

I facepalmed internally, but still let out a chuckle. She's been calling me that name ever since we moved in together. It does make sense, though, because I'm technically a large, fire breathing lizard with wings.

Shaking away that thought, what Shiva said did make a lot of sense. The only question is, how was I going to do all of this? I don't think that they would befriend me so easily after what's happened in the last few weeks. It would take some time before they'll accept me as one of their own.

Unless… I try to make them sympathize for me. Tell them how horrible of a person I was, and that I want to change, to become a good person like that fox and his friends are. If it works… I'll surely befriend them!

And once I get their trust, I'll be able to find out every single one of their weaknesses, and as my roommate says, use that against them, and finally defeat them in battle, once the time is right!

I nodded to myself, satisfied with my plan. It was the perfect one.

But first… I'll have to be fully healed from my injuries.

* * *

 **Wow. Sorry, I didn't mean to take so long on this chapter. XD**

 **I was busy with other things, but I swear, the next chapter will come within a smaller time frame than this one did.**

 **Catch y'all in the next one!  
**

 **Edit: Usual big thanks to the bestest co-writer and beta reader of this story ever, Chlooepm! If you haven't checked out her profile here on this site, please do so!**


	14. The Student Becomes The Teacher

**Welcome back to another chapter full of storyline goodness! Seriously good for your greater health. :)**

 **Anyways, thanks for leaving reviews. You know who you are, and I really like how people actually enjoy my story. It's pretty neat, in my opinion.**

 **Enough of my rambling though. Let's get to the actual story! :D**

 ** _Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon, I just own the OCs. I'm pretty sure you all know why this story is rated M by now, so I won't explain it anymore and I'll just say it._**

 ** _Also, sorry for the longest HIATUS EVER. I got busy. XD_**

* * *

 **(POV: Francis)**

You know, you never really get to appreciate your surroundings until you slow down and take in everything around you.

...why did I say that line? It has no purpose as to what will be shown this chapter. Man, this author is a dumbass.

Ahem, anyways... Other than breaking the forth wall, I was practically doing nothing useful. Today was just another boring Saturday for me. Another typical boring weekend. And here I was, in my room, scrolling through Facebook and looking at countless posts that almost didn't have much purpose, make it be news about so and so around the world or random posts from friends.

Oh, in terms of my injuries, most of them have healed up and I'm fine now. All I really have is the gauze wrapped around my arms so it covers up the bad scrapes I had gained and they still require to be healed. In terms of Tina, she is fine as well, but shes continuing to use her crutches since her ankle has been twisted in the fight with Aaron. But other than that, she's alright.

It's been just a few days after that whole fight with Aaron. In a way, I was glad that I had fought with Aaron that day. I had gotten stronger by getting fucked up, because I learn from the mistakes I make in battle and teach myself different strategies on how to deal with it the next time it happens. It's pretty good, but the downside is that I kinda exhausted myself in the process. Oh well, it made me fight so hard that it made me push my limit.

On that note, I suppose Tina learned some sort of thing in that fight as well.

Suddenly, I hear a knocking from the other side of my bedroom's door. Wondering who it could be, I didn't get up but did what any teen alone in their locked room would do in this situation.

"Who's there and what do you need?" I said, not even getting up from off of my bed.

"Bro, it's me!" It was my brother. I wasn't sure what he needed, but I had to see what he needed or else he would have whined to my mother about how I'm not helping him with what he needs, like any younger sibling. Yeah, pretty annoying if you ask me.

I got up off of my bed and opened my door. I saw my brother, Ethan, standing in front of me and looking up at me. Have I ever told you that Ethan is a Riolu? He inherits my father's sort of species, and yet I'm stronger than he is, despite me being a sort of hybrid species. It's sorta unusual how I'm stronger than him.

"What do you need? I'm kinda busy." I said, crossing my arms.

"Um... So I got this kid in my class and he always tries to steal my lunch money. He always does it because I can't defend myself." He said as he shuffled a bit embarrassed. I looked at him with pity, and I frowned. "Ethan, as much as that kid is bad, I can't defeat him for you. It's... Your problem, so you gotta deal with it yourself." I said, sighing slightly.

"I-I know, but... That's what I need you to help me with. I want you to... Train me so I can defend myself." He said timidly, and my heart skipped a beat. Did he really want _me_ to train him? I looked at Ethan surprised.

"W-wait, what? You really want me to train you?" He nodded, putting a look of determination on his face. "Y-yes! I don't want to look weak in front of my class again AND I don't want to get embarrassed!" He said, rubbing the back of his head slightly.

I scratched my chin slightly as I frowned. I wanted to help my younger brother out, I really did. It's just I wasn't sure if this was just another one of his elaborate plans that involved me getting in trouble. You see, last time I tried to train him, he got hurt and he immediately cried and went to our mother, who scolded me for hurting him. Ugh, I hate younger siblings.

But, since I lowkey felt a bit bad for the little Riolu that I call my younger brother, I gave in and sighed.

"Alright, fine. I'll teach you some self defensive moves." I said, and his face immediately lit up with happiness, as seen with the huge grin suddenly plastered onto his face. "Thanks big bro!" He said before hugging me quickly, then running off to presumably go to the backyard or something.

Man, moments like those make me feel warm and fuzzy inside. Probably because I felt I did the right thing, right?

Anyways, seeing as I was about to train my brother, I felt no purpose in "sparring" with him in jeans and a black dress shirt. So, I did what anyone would do at that moment and changed out of those said articles of clothing.

Since my purple track suit was practically ripped up and tattered, I couldn't use them anymore. So, as a bit of a replacement, I grabbed a white polo shirt and black track pants. Simple, yet made you feel comfortable, am I right? I also grabbed my scabbard that held my sword and slipped it on as well, just in case I would need it for the training. Not sure how I would use it, but I may have to use it in some sort of way that will do good. I don't know just yet, but I'll figure this out.

I was pretty excited; I was about to become a mentor to my brother!

I ran outside to find my brother sitting down on the tree stump, waiting for me. I noticed that he had changed his clothes as well, and I was impressed that he had found himself a gi. It was similar to my old one, except his was white instead of purple. As I walked up to him, he turned his head to look at me and he grinned excitedly.

"Big bro! Now that you're here outside with me, let's train!" He said enthusiastically as he jumped right off the stump. He then grinned as he got into a sort of fighting stance. Although I knew he was trying to do a good stance, it would make anyone facepalm since it was clear he had no clue what he was doing. But hey, that's why I'm here!

"I like your enthusiasm, but you can't just begin with fighting yet. You gotta learn techniques so that you know how to attack and fight properly. Alright?" I said, crossing my arms. He got out of his stance and nodded, staring at me. "Oh, okay then. Well, start teaching me, big bro!" He happily said as his tail wagged slightly. I chuckled, and nodded.

I thought for a moment. What will I teach him first?

I pondered on that for a moment. After a bit of consideration, I finally came to a conclusion. Like my father had done with me, I would check his current skill level and then see what he can improve on.

"Alright, Ethan. I want you to show me what you can do. Use any sort of attacks that you happen to know, and use them on me with all of your strength!" I said, and he nodded in determination. "Got it, bro!" He said as he charged at me. A sort of white energy surrounded him, and I realized he was starting off with a simple 'tackle' attack. He landed his attack on me directly, but to my surprise it hardly even stung me at all. He jumped back.

"How was that attack, big bro?" He grinned with a bit of pride. As much as my brother annoyed me, I couldn't exactly say his attack was weak.

"Well... It was okay, but it wasn't good enough to exactly damage someone." I said, crossing my arms and frowning. He looked down slightly in disappointment.

"So, any other attacks you got?" I asked him, and he nodded excitedly. "Yeah, this one!" He then formed a fist with his paw and energy seemed to go into his fist. He then charged towards me once more. If I were to guess what sort of attack this was, it would probably be a Mega Punch attack. "Hyah!" He yelled out as he threw the punch at me. Once again, I actually flinched a bit as I went to block. When I did block, his fist hit my arm, and like his tackle attack, it was weak.

He once again jumped back and grinned. "Haha, was that good?"

To my disappointment, I had to shake my head. "Sorry to say this, but... That can't damage someone either." I said, and he got disappointed again.

"Anything else?" I said, and to my surprise he actually shook his head no.

"Nope... That's all I know." He gave me a nervous smile. I couldn't really blame his nervousness. I had only known some simple attacks back when my father had just started training me, and weak ones at that. So I could understand how Ethan was feeling at that moment.

"Listen Ethan, it's okay. Once we're done today, you'll know some moves and techniques to defend yourself against a bully." I smiled at him, giving him a thumbs up. He looked up at me, and he grinned widely in happiness.

"O-okay big bro!"

 _And so, we trained nonstop for that entire day, only stopping to eat lunch and dinner. It was pretty intense, and as the hours past, he was beginning to get his attacks more stronger while he learned some moves from me._

"Concentrate your energy and aura to create a force field! It will allow you to block ANY move that they throw at you. But remember; it won't be there to protect you forever." I said as I started throwing weak Aura Spheres at him while Ethan had created a protective barrier to protect himself. I taught him the move Protect first because, well... It's a good line of defense, after all. I was happy for him, since he managed to learn that technique in under 10 minutes AND that he was so dedicated to learn. Like me when it came to getting taught by my dad.

After that, we finally got on to learning some offensive attacks.

"Let your energy and aura flow through your body, then charge it into the palms of your paws to create a controlled orb of energy. This attack is called the Aura Sphere." I said to him as I showed him an Aura Sphere I had created in my paws. He stared at it with interested. "Ooh...it's so cool!" He said interested. I nodded to him, then pointed at the wooden dummy I had set up across from us. "Once you've charged up your Aura Sphere, you need to throw it at your opponent." I said as I then threw my Aura Sphere towards the dummy and it merely shook it up a bit, since it was just a weak one. Ethan looked excited to learn to learn this attack.

"Wow! Okay, so... I gotta concentrate my energy into my paws, right?" He asked me, and I nodded. He closed his eyes, and breathed lightly. He took the stance that was similar to mine when I charged my Aura Sphere up, and trembled a bit. I could tell he was trying really hard. "Listen Ethan, just relax. It won't work if you can't allow the feeling of being calm and relaxed come over you." That isn't really true, but I was just giving him a reason not to think or try too hard.

Soon, he finally made a small sphere of energy in his paws. He concentrated as more and more energy was added to the orb, making it increase in size slowly. Soon, Ethan opened his eyes and looked excitedly. "Look bro, I did it!" He said as he showed me the Aura Sphere charged up in his paws. I nodded to him. "Good. But now you gotta throw that Aura Sphere that you've created at the wooden dummy, just like I did. Remember Ethan, envision your target in your head before throwing it or else it will go off course." I said to him as I pointed at the wooden dummy.

Ethan nodded once more, and closed his eyes. He concentrated all of the energy he had charged up in his paws and quivered every now and then. I could hear his slow breathing. It was clear he was trying to concentrate as best as he could.

Honestly, he reminds me of myself, back when I was getting taught how to use Aura Sphere.

He took a deep breath out and he then threw the sphere made of aura like a baseball at the wooden dummy. It went at a relatively good speed, and it hit the wooden dummy dead on. Upon impact, however, it seemed to just rattle the dummy. Just like what happened to me the first time I've used an Aura Sphere. With my understanding, it wasn't nessesarily a weak Aura Sphere, it just meant it needed to used in a better way. That meant Ethan knew what he was doing, but they way he executed it was lackluster in a way.

Ethan looked over at me with glee. "Big brother! Did you see that?! I did it!" I smiled. Despite Ethan being the most annoying Riolu on the planet Earth, he just looked so adorable when he was happy.

"Heh, you sure did. You're a natural! Just like me when dad trained me." I said to him as I went over to him. Ethan smiled gleefully as he looked up to me. He was sure as hell just like me when I was younger. He did have talent, I guess he was just too busy playing Call of Duty and such to be able to tap into it.

"Can we keep training, big brother? I wanna learn more techniques!" Ethan said to me with a look of determination on his face. I chuckled as I rubbed the back of my head. I knew my answer for that.

"Sure, man."

And that's what we did for the rest of the day. We trained and we trained and we trained. We trained until the sun had went down.

"Take this!" Ethan yelled as he went to do a roundhouse kick on me. I caught his kick and pushed him backwards. It was now dark out, and yet we were still sparring outside in our backyard. "Yes Ethan, don't let up!" I told him as I used Protect to block an incoming Aura Sphere from him. He laughed and started launching a barrage of Aura Spheres at me. I kept up my protective shield for a while longer then quickly summoned a bone made of my aura and started deflecting his attacks away, making them collide with the ground in our backyard. Ethan stopped and panted as he looked at me grinning.

"Big bro, you're so strong!" He dusted his paws off and laughed.

I smiled at him as I made my aura-created bone disappear from my paws. "Ethan, you'll be as strong as me one day. Heck, maybe even stronger than me if you try hard enough." I said to him as he grinned with excitement.

"Francis! Ethan! Time to come inside! It's getting late!"

Me and Ethan looked at each other, fully knowing that was our mother calling us to go inside. We both nodded to each other, giving each other a thumbs up in the process, then headed back inside.

Of course, as expected, our mother gave us one hell of a talk, since we were pretty dirty after all that sparring and training.

As I showered that night, I pondered about what had happened over the past few weeks.

 _I beat Aaron (with the help of Tina, of course), who is the school's most toughest Pokemon students there. TWICE._

 _I befriended Niku, and probably has earned her friendship in the process. And hopefully, maybe her heart in the future?_

 _I earned the respect of Tina as well._

... _and if you think about it, I also shredded my training clothes that I had gotten for my birthday. Man, tough break, I guess._

Placing the soap atop my head and lathering myself respectively, I felt that I had done so many things over the past week. Although I had sustained many injuries, I had also gained new friendships in both Tina and Niku as well. Heck, I think I earned a new respect from Amy too, which is a feat within itself. I also think I may have done a grave mistake in sparing Aaron before, but I know I did the right thing. Honestly, I know he wouldn't have done the same to me. But, like I said before, mercy is probably the best weapon of them all. However, I wonder if Aaron had learned his lesson after that second beating I gave him.

I smiled inwardly, for I was quite the blessed fox. That, and I couldn't wait the things that could transpire this week.

I will see, in due time.

* * *

 **And that is it for this chapter!**

 **Seriously, I am really sorry that this chapter took a long time to come out. I got busy, and I lost inspiration I suppose. What's even worse is that this was a filler chapter as well. But hey, starting today, expect chapters to come at a more faster rate than a few months! And that is a promise!**

 **Next chapter is also a filler chapter, but it's also something that a friend asked of me to do. Since he's a close friend, I'll do it. Just for him. :)**

 **Until next time, see ya around! Peace!**

 _ **DegenerateFluffington**_


	15. The Typhlosion German Sheppard Hybrid

**Guess who's back? :D It's sure as hell ain't me. XD**

 **Kidding aside, welcome back to this story. Glad some of you are still around to read this story actually, since I got kinda worried people have moved on by now. No worries!**

 **Now, this chapter is a bit different from the others, since it takes a look on a certain character that I haven't really touched on as much. Now, we'll finally see how this certain German Sheppard's day is like! Enjoy this chapter everyone! :)**

 _ **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon, and I still wish I do. This story is also rated M (for mature), for the bloodshed shown in the previous chapters (so far) and the lemons that may come in the future chapters.**_

* * *

 **(POV: Bryce)**

Sleep. It's a condition of body and mind such as that which typically recurs for several hours every night, in which the nervous system is generally inactive.

 _Of course, I wanted some additional sleep, like any other teenage person of this age._

"Ugh..." I groaned inwardly as the sunlight that made its way through my window and shone onto me, which caused me to stir from my sleep. I took my blanket and pulled it over my face to block the sunlight from my face. It was clear I didn't want anything to do with waking up, as always. And as usual, I wake up tired as always. Probably because I kept waking up at night, due to the fact my sister Jessica and some random dude were literally going at it like horny rabbits during their season. My sister is such a screamer, I swear to Arceus. I'm gonna give her a piece of my mind later on if I see her. Oh, and the sunlight was enough to wake me up again too.

I oughta get some blinds for my windows to block out the sunlight, huh? That'd be a great investment. That, and maybe soundproof walls.

Taking my phone that I had under my pillow, I turned it on to look at the time. It was still early, and I had another 2 hours before I had to get ready for school. I sighed as I laid in my bed. After rubbing my eyes for a moment, I relaxed once more, hoping to get some more sleep in. I felt my eyes start to droop eventually, and soon I fell asleep once again... Even if it was short-lived.

"BRYCE! Wake up, you gotta get going now!"

My eyes shot open once more, and I groaned. Once again my sleep was interrupted by my mom, who told me I had to go to school, as always. I rubbed my eyes once more and got up off of my bed. I stretched briefly while looking down to see a certain bulge that's bigger than usual in my boxers. I shake my head dismissively, knowing I had another kinky dream that I don't quite remember all that well. Since I don't have a lot of time in the mornings, I usually skip out on doing a quick wank, mostly because my brain is still processing when I wake up and such, since I'm that tired.

I slowly trudge over to my dresser and opened up a drawer to grab my usual sort of clothes; a pair of jeans and a normal t-shirt. This time it was a blue t-shirt and it had a chibi picture of Deadpool on it. I vaguely remember buying this shirt.

After that, I left my room to get going. I walked by my sister's room and it reeked of what sex smells like. I pinched my nose, and groaned in disgust. _"Ugh, who knows what they do behind that door. I sure as hell don't wanna know."_ I thought, going downstairs to grab my school stuff.

In the kitchen, I saw a certain Typhlosion sitting at the kitchen table sipping a cup of coffee. It was my mother. "Good morning. Slept well?" She said to me as I passed buy to drink some water from the cooler we have. After I took a sip of water, I spoke up.

"Eh, wasn't the best sleep I had. Jessica kept me up all night." I said to her, and she laughed.

"Well, she would probably feel the same as you if you did something similar, Bryce." She said crossing her arms with a somewhat joking look on her face. I face palmed, but I guess she was right. I know my sister doesn't mean any harm, but still. She should probably tell me that's gonna happen before hand so that I could prepare myself. And what I meant by that is I would go and crash at Francis' house for the night.

In order to make it look like I didn't ignore what my mom said, I replied to her.

"I suppose so." I said to her.

She then told me off, saying I should probably head for school now. I nodded, and paid just that. Even if I didn't want to. I _hated_ school.

I grabbed my bag, which had my usual school necessities in it along with my phone's charger, just in case my phone would run out of batteries. I also grabbed my jacket and slipped it on, since it was slightly cold out, despite it being the spring time already. Right when I was about to leave for school, I realized I had forgotten something.

I had forgotten my earbuds so I could use them to listen to music!

I quickly ran back upstairs to my room to find them. I snatched them from my bedside table then ran back to the front door.

"Bye mom, I'm headed for school." I said to her and she said her goodbyes to me as well, telling me to have a "good day" and such.

Trust me, I don't ever seem to have a "good day" when I'm at school. The only time when I think school is alright is when my friends are around me. Seriously, they always make my days 1000 times better than a day when I don't see my friends at school.

I left the house and started walking to school. I took my ear buds and plugged them into my phone, just to listen to some music on the way to school. I slipped the hood of my sweater on over my head and hummed the tune of the song that played from my phone. One of my favorites, actually. One of the songs by a band named Gorillaz. They have quite a few songs, and quite a few of those songs are good favorites as mine.

I eventually made my way to the previously called hellhole called school. My first class was English class, so I decided to head there first. I strolled down the hall, making my way to my locker to place any unneeded items into it before anything else.

"Hey Bryce! Wait up!"

Someone I knew too well called my name out from behind me, and so I turned to see who it was. It was the only fox that I knew too well, Francis.

He ran up to me wearing a white t-shirt along with a pair of black track pants. He also had the scabbard of his sword wrapped around his chest, as per usual. After the events that happened on that field trip around a week ago, it must have been tough on his body. It seems that he's been limping a little more, too. Something about that fight with Aaron must have messed something up in his bones because I swear to Arceus, it destroyed something in his system. Might be minor, but something _minor_ could easily become something major.

"Hey dude, what's up?" He said to me while I slipped off my ear buds. I smiled a little as I put my music-listening device away and into my pocket.

"I'm as fine as one can be after they couldn't sleep last night. But other than that, I'm good." I said, still somewhat tired. Francis nodded as he seemingly understood what I meant. He practically knew me inside and out.

Of course, not in _that_ sort of way.

"Ah, I see. What happened this time?" He asked curiously as he started to walk alongside me.

"Well... My sister decided to go bang with someone all night. You know Jessica, right?" Francis briefly nodded, then I continued. "She and some random guy that I don't know had sex all fucking night, dude. All I could hear was the sound of the bed creaking and my sister screaming."

Francis visibly had a look of disgust on his face as he shook his head.

"Geez, really? She should really tell you when she's gonna do that kind of stuff, ya know? That way, you could just come over to my house and camp out there for the night." He said, sighing and crossing his arms.

 _See? He agrees with me!_

"Yeah, that would be a good idea." I told him, yawning a bit.

After we did what we needed to do at our lockers and such, we made our way to the English classroom that Francis and I were assigned to at the beginning of the semester.

We entered the classroom and only a few of the other classmates were there. I remember Clyde, that one Luxray who is always quiet and seems to love reading books. He sat in the back of the room reading a book, as usual. There was also that feline girl that Francis seemed to have his eyes on. She was sitting at her desk like normal, seemingly looking cheerful too. I wonder what makes her so cheerful. Whatever it is, Francis seems to like for that reason and possibly a few others. I think her name was Niku.

And then there was that female weasel that I could never remember her name too. I only remember her for her possible 'C' size tits.

 _Hey, don't judge me! I like boobs, alright?_ Besides, she isn't quite my type anyways.

I sat down at my desk and Francis did the same. Francis looked over at Niku and chatted to her slightly, talking about her morning and such. It made me wonder if Niku was interested in Francis as much as Francis was interested in her. Maybe she was, maybe she wasn't. Anyone's guess would be as right as mine, since I had no clue if she was even attracted to Francis in that sort of way. I guess I'll find out in due time.

Soon, the classroom filled up as the school's bell rang loudly as the classes began.

English class went by without incident, since we were to just read a book throughout class. Francis and I talked every now and then, but I mostly kept quiet and listened to my music. Yeah, kinda anti-social, huh? Well, it's what I do, I suppose. Anyways, after the first class had done, me and Francis had said our goodbyes for now and we headed for our separate classes. For me, it was Economics. Nothing major happened in that class, other than the teacher talking for the full period about... Well, economics. What else would it be?

And then it was Chemistry and Physics class, which I find sorta interesting, I suppose.

I once again sit at my usual desk, thinking that it would be just another regular class day. But then the teacher, Mr Richards, who is a Tiger, said something about doing some lab work. "Okay, you must pair up into groups of two and make sure to grab the necessary tools and such." He said, and everyone understood. Most of the class had already went up to pick their partners for the lab work, and here I was, alone as usual. Just when I was about to slip my earbuds back in, I hear someone sit right next to me.

When I look to see who it was, I literally had nearly fell out of my chair.

It was Kayla, the wolf girl that I had a huge crush on.

I looked over at her, and she seemed to be wearing a pair of blue jeans along with a green hoodie. It looked very nice on her.

She adjusted her folder in her paws then looked over at me, causing me to look a bit nervous. "So, Bryce, was it?" She asked, and I nodded. She smiled, then continued. "A'ight. If it's cool with you, could we be lab partners?" She asked me, and I swear my heart skipped a beat.

I honestly couldn't believe that she _talked_ to me, let alone _notice_ me. At times like these, I must act calm and cool.

"S-sure! S-sounds great to me!"

I internally face palmed. Face pawed? Whatever, it's the same. I sounded like a dork. Seriously, how nervous could I get? How embarrassing. Then again, I am practically interacting with my crush for the first time.

Kayla smiled at me as she got up for a moment. "You stay here, I'll go grab the lab stuff, kay?" She told me as she walked off while I nodded. After taking a deep breath, I knew what I needed to do. I needed to relax and make sure that I don't creep her out to the point that she'll think I'm a weirdo.

Once she came back with the supplies, we were told by the teacher that we were supposed to be making some sort product(s) using several different kinds of formulas and items as well. From what I understood, we were supposed to be mixing different compounds together or something.

I typically watched Kayla pour most of the chemicals and such, while I handed her the tools she needed. Honestly, I'm pretty sure I would have just gotten in the way if I made any attempts to help.

"Could you pass that vat, Bryce?" She pointed at a vat full of a sort of chemical that was near by arm. I nodded, and carefully passed it to her. "Here you go. This one, right?" She takes it and nods. "Yeah, thanks."

I watched her carefully pour just a small portion of the chemicals into the beaker, and she then sealed the vat again.

"Okay, now I want you to take the vat with those green chemicals in it and pour a bit of it into the beaker for me. Alright?" I kinda zoned out when she told me what I needed to do, but I understood the task that needed to be done nonetheless.

"O-okay, Kayla." I said, taking the small vat full of a sort of green liquid. Mr Richards said to be careful with the chemicals and compounds, since they can be dangerous when spilled and such. So, with caution, I carefully go to pour just a small amount of the green liquid into the beaker. I poured a bit of the liquid into the beaker, then I close the vat, putting it on the side again.

"Heh, nice one. Now, watch this." She said as she stared at the beaker in front of the both of us. I nodded, adjusting the safety goggles placed on over my eyes, and stared at the beaker intently, curious to see what would happen. As I stared at the beaker, I couldn't help but move my eyes to look at Kayla.

She just looked... Astonishing. She was truly a beautiful wolf. Not only that, but it also looked like she was kind as well. Add that to the list of things that I like about her. Another thing was her _eyes_. Ohh, her eyes. The look of them are unexplainable. They practically shined like emeralds. To me, they were stunning to look at.

"Uh, hello? Earth to Bryce?" I heard her calling to me, and I had to shake myself out of the current trance I was in to avoid looking weird in front of Kayla, if I hadn't done so already. "W-What happened?" I asked her, rubbing the back of my head. She then pointed at the beaker. When I looked, I noticed that it was all bubbly. "When the chemicals mixed together, it created this sort of compound. The reaction is what happened when both of the chemicals combined with each other when they were placed in the same beaker." She explained, and I nodded. Of course, I already knew something like that would happen, but I do admit that I may have been busy staring at Kayla to watch the reaction actually happen.

The rest of the class went on fairly quickly, and soon we had to part ways once again.

"That was fun. Hey, maybe I'll be your lab partner next time we gotta do another experiment." Kayla said to me with a smile as she left the classroom. I felt a bit more happy inside, since I could be able to work with her again in the future!

Feeling a bit more giddier than usual, I went towards my next class that was before lunch.

Algebra class was my next class, and it was uneventful as usual. All we did was do some equations and word problems, just like yesterday. Everyone also received some homework to do, even though I completed it fast so I wouldn't have to do any of it at home.

So just like English and Economics class, it was boring.

Once the bell rang, I practically ran out of the classroom and went to the cafeteria. It was my turn to "call dibs" on our usual table, since we all took turns to grab our table each day, and today was my turn to do so.

I made my way to our usual table and I found that quite a few others were already sitting there. I remembered them clearly, since these were some assholes who seemed to like teasing and making fun of others. Not to the extent of what Aaron did necessarily, but they were still assholes.

I approached the table and spoke up.

"Hey, uh... Excuse me? This is the table as to where me and my friends always sit. So, if you could be so kin-"

"Okay, first of all, shut up." One of the guys there, a Zangoose, seemingly interrupted me. "Second of all, we was here first, ya dig? Now, shove off before we knock the teeth out of your mouth." Everyone sitting at the table seemed to laugh or giggle at my expense. I frowned, somewhat frustrated at the fact they took the table from me.

But they did have a point. It was their table since they got here first, after all. So, as they kept up their laughing, I decided to not cause anymore trouble and simply leave peacefully.

But then, just as I was about to do that, I just had to bump into Amy who happened to be right behind me.

"Oof! Hey, watch it!" She said, grunting a bit as she bumped into me. The moment she realized it was me, she immediately took it back. "Oh crap, sorry dude. I... Uh... Didn't see ya there." She rubbed the back of her head while I chuckled nervously.

"Eheh, n-no problem." I told her in a somewhat timid voice.

She then looked around briefly. "So, where's our table?" She asked me, and I gulped.

"Well... Um... Some asshats who just love to make _funny_ jokes stole our table. They wouldn't budge either when I asked them to leave." I said to her, and she crossed her arms sighing.

"Ugh, leave it to those fuckers to make me do this the hard way, huh?" She then made her way to the table while I followed her, curious as to what she would do this time.

Amy strolled up to them and huffed slightly. "Hey! You all better get up and leave in the next 20 seconds or I'll find enough lockers to stuff all of you in!" She ordered them, and they immediately grabbed all their things and ran off. Heck, one of them even cleaned what mess they had left behind too. All in the span of 5 seconds. I do have to admit that although Amy uses threats to get her way most of the time, at least she gets things done that way. I mean, it's not the best way, but she's slowly finding ways to not be as hostile sometimes.

Amy plopped down in a seat along with me sitting beside her. I went to confront of her about what happened but she answered me way before I even asked her. "Yeah, I know that was a bit hostile there. My bad." She coughed, crossing her arms slightly.

Soon, Francis arrived alongside Tina and sat across from me while she sat beside Francis. "Hey guys. What's shaking and stuff?" I heard him say as he went to slip his lunch bag out from his backpack.

"Nothing out of the normal, I suppose." I said while shrugging. I took my ham sandwich out from my bag and unwrapped it. I took a quick glance at Tina, who had seemed to have bought her lunch from the cafeteria.

Although Amy and Tina seem to have a bit of a rivalry with each other, it seems like she's feeling welcome to be hanging out with out little 'group of friends' that we have. She's been getting along with everyone (except Amy) and she's somewhat happy with hanging out with us. Francis was the one who introduced us to her, and now we're all good friends with her.

"So, how's the ankle? Still healing?" I asked Tina, and she nodded. "Yeah. It's getting better now, so I don't need to use my crutches. Soon, I'll be able to battle again." She said to me, and I smiled a bit. It was clear that she had a thing for battling, just like Francis.

"Well, that's good. My wounds from before have mostly gone away now." Francis replied to her, and Tina nodded in understanding.

"Hey guys and gals!" I see Alice walk up to our table and sit right beside me. In my opinion and in all honesty, Alice is very busty. Like, REALLY busty. One could easily use her boobs as pillows and you'd probably sleep as well as one could with normal pillows. Heck, maybe sleep better with them. It's just I find Alice's boobs to be... Somewhat squishy. Just what I like. I'd say her tits were at least a "D" cup size. Maybe even more, and I'd probably like that!

But aside from her boobs, she's a great person to hang out with.

"Hey, Alice. You're in a cheery mood today." Francis seemed to speak up to her first, and she shrugged. "Eh, I'm always happy though! After all, happiness is contagious." Francis nodded, and took another bite from his sandwich.

Amy then spoke up. "So Francis, seems like you and Tina are tough enough to take blows from Aaron."

"Yep. Though, it surprises that I'm able to. Probably because I've been training since I was a bit younger." Francis replied, and Amy kept the conversation between them going.

"I find it interesting. I've struggled against him when I had to battle him before. And now, here are you and Tina, going up against Aaron and actually take him on seriously." I visibly see Amy frown slightly. Tina then speaks up.

"Well... I guess you could say that we've both been training alone and with each other, honing our skills. I would also say that it's possible that we've maybe overcome you in terms of strength and power, but I wouldn't want to show off." She said, making Amy scoff slightly.

"Pfft, as if. But hey, you could always try and see if your better. Just ask and I'll make you see where you stand." Amy chuckled with overconfidence as she finished the burger she bought for herself from the cafeteria.

I briefly saw Tina glare at Amy annoyingly, however Francis then talked to her in a quiet voice and I couldn't hear what he said. After Francis finished speaking quietly, Tina nodded and seemingly calmed down, going back to the simple calm demeanor that she had before.

"Alright, I'm out. Peace out, nerds!" Amy said as she jumped up out of her seat grabbing her bag. She then walked off, presumably to go and work out or excerise as usual. That, or attempt to get something out of the nearby vending machine that always seems to fraud her for whatever reason.

"I swear... I 'oughta make Amy eat those words. She's too cocky for her own good." Tina said as she crossed her arms, clearly still annoyed with Amy. I finally spoke up.

"Although I wouldn't want admit that to her in person, you're right about that, Tina." I said as I took a sip of my Dr Pepper can I brought from home. Francis seemed to agree.

"Yeah, that's very true. But thing is, I'm scared that if me or Tina beat her, we'll ruin her pride and then she'll get depressed or something." Francis said, tapping his chin. "I do want to see where I stand against her in terms of power and strength, however."

I kept listening in to their different conversations, and soon enough, Lunch was over and it was time to go to the next class.

Francis and Tina said their farewells to Alice, who had different classes than us. Before I left with them, Alice gave me a big hug.

"Hehe, have a good day, would ya? I'd hate to see you be depressed." She told me with a big smile while she hugged me. It was a very warm hug. But what concerned me the most was the fact that _HER TITS WERE LITERALLY SQUISHING AGAINST ME._

I went wide eyed as I had a bit of a nosebleed, a crimson liquid dripping from my nose slightly. She pulled away before any blood could get on herself, and she giggled.

"Later, Bryce." She giggled as she seemingly skipped off to her next class. I stood there and chuckled nervously, cleaning my nose up with the tissues I kept in my bag.

After I cleaned myself up, I started to make my way down to the Art room for my next class. I then started to think about earlier.

I agreed with what they were saying earlier completely. Recently, Amy has been acting like she's the strongest in the school. She might be strong and all, but I've seen Francis and Tina fight to the best of their ability while Amy hasn't. She doesn't know what skills they both possess and how good they really are at to me at least, they're really good. Honestly, maybe I should shape up so I could maybe impress Kayla. That, and it's so I could defend myself better. I'll ask Francis or Tina for some training another time, maybe when the time is better.

After all, they are my friends. That's what they do; help each other out.

* * *

 **Wow, that went WAY longer than I expected. XD**

 **Yep, that was the chapter of Bryce. Might have been a bit rushed in maybe 2 places, but hey... A small mistake doesn't matter, does it? If I do make a mistake, I get back up and continue what I need to do.**

 **Anyways, leave a review if you have anything to say about the story or about me if you wish, and I'll catch you on the flip side!**

 ** _~DegenerateFluffington_**


	16. Sparring Match Evaluation

**Hey everyone! A new chapter is here for everyone to read, and it's this chapter right here. :)**

 **Also, excuse me for my unprofessionalism for a moment, but...**

 **HOLY SHIT, _JIRULIUS_ IS READING AND FOLLOWING MY STORY! owo**

 **Ahem, sorry about that. But seriously, I'm actually VERY surprised and interested as to how and why you'd come over to my profile and decide "hey, let's read this story that he has". But other than that, I'm very, VERY happy a popular writer like you could even find time to read my story, let alone leave multiple reviews! And for that, I thank you. :)**

 **Also, if you don't know him, he's a story writer and also the beta reader for one of my favorite writers, Awesome Sawss. If you like this story, I seriously recommend checking out both of their content. Trust me, the stories that the both of them write probably are one of the reasons as to why this story even exists today.**

 **But hey, enough of my ranting! Let's get right into this story! :D**

 _ **Disclaimer: I don't own any of the copyrighted material used in this story, such as Pokemon itself. I only own most of the OCs portrayed in this form of fiction. This is a rated "M" fanfic as well, so you already know what that means. Any stories shown here are of a work of fiction, and if they somehow have a relation to you, that would be purely coincidental. And of course, please don't try any of the fighting moves at home. Seriously, you could get REALLY messed up.**_

* * *

 **(POV: Bryce)**

Here I was, sitting on the bleachers in my gym class once again.

We were all waiting for Mr Fritz to tell us what we were all going to be doing this time. I sat beside Francis, who seemed to be tapping away at his phone, presumably playing some sort of game on his phone. To be exact, he wasn't actually playing a game. He was typing some sort of thing up. To me, it looked like a sort of script. Wonder if it was for a project or something.

Tina sat on the other side of Francis, and she seemed to be reading a book. Upon looking further, she was reading the first book of _The_ _Hunger Games_ series. Frankly, the movies were kinda terrible in my opinion but the books were far more interesting.

I looked around from where the three of us sat on the bleachers, and I noticed Amy from afar. She was seemingly doing push-ups. I watched her go at it for a minute or so.

 _10... 11... 12... 13... 14... 15... 16... 17... 18..._

She eventually got to 50 when two minutes had gone by in my head. After a while, I got bored of watching Amy do a high number of push ups and decided to look around some more.

I then noticed Aaron sitting on the end of the bleachers, away from everyone else. He had an annoyed look on his face, as if to tell anyone that approached him " _you should probably not get near me_ " or something. He had bandages wrapped around his right arm and presumably his chest, since he was just wearing a black polo shirt. It seems like most of his injuries were healing up at least. Francis and Tina had bested him twice in a row, and I now wondered if Aaron had lost his touch. Maybe he thought that he was so strong, and that he didn't need to train anymore, since he was able to take down almost everyone in the school. Including Amy, but that only happened once. He got cocky, and I suppose he paid for it.

I sighed, rubbing my chin. He was always a feared bully in the school, and here he is, sitting as if he were a new student in the class. It seemed like he had lost any sort of respect that he had gained from the other weaker bullies from the school. Now he felt what it was like to be at the all time low.

Of course, that was just a guess in my head. I could be totally wrong.

Eventually, Mr Fritz finally came into the gymnasium and he looked around as he adjusted his glasses. After organizing his papers on a clipboard, he cleared his throat and most of the class stopped doing their thing and turned their heads in the wolf's direction. I saw Francis put his phone away and look over at him as well.

"Ahem, listen up, class! It's time for the strength and battle examinations!" Mr Fritz said, and everyone in our class seemed to have mixed reactions. Some were excited, and some were actually the opposite of excited. And there were also those that were in between.

Like _me_.

Like I said before, I wasn't one to like battling and all, but if I had to fight, I'm willing to go a few rounds. For someone else's sake, or just for a simple sparring match. I have the strength and such, but not quite on the level that Francis or Tina would be on. I'm considerably weaker than the both of them.

How do I know that? I just know, alright? Don't question me.

Besides, Francis did say he has been training for years now, while I've been playing Video Games in the time he's been training.

Mr Fritz shushed everyone, and the place went almost silent once more. "I'll be randomly pairing you in groups of two and I'll be evaluating both of your efforts in a sparring match. It doesn't matter who wins or loses, just remember that. You could easily win by cheating, and you will automatically fail this excerise." He announced, and most of the students responded with a sort of affirmative in their own ways.

I wondered who I were to be paired up with. I was hoping for my partner to not be strong, like Francis or Aaron. I know Francis would probably go easy on me, but then there's Aaron. He'd decimate me in seconds. But then again I wouldn't want to be placed against a student that is weak. I sorta want a challenge, and I would kinda feel bad for the kid who would have to face against me.

I watched the first matches that Mr Fritz organized, and they weren't too bad. Some matches ended with one of the students either forfeiting to a submission or getting thrown out of the battle area that was established by Mr Fritz. It was basically a sort of boundary and the two fighting have to stay within the boundaries and if you get thrown out of those said boundaries, the match would end and they would lose. It's part of the battle rules that were set for school tournaments and such.

It seemed as if the time would run out, and I wouldn't have to fight today, but then he told me I would be up as the last match of the day. I hopped off of the bleachers and ran over to the fight area and looked over at him.

"So, who would my opponent be?" I asked him as I stretched briefly.

Mr Fritz stared down at his clipboard for a moment then looked back up at me. "Your opponent will be Amy." He said, then sat back down in his chair crossing his arms. I mentally groaned while my jaw dropped in surprise. While I did know the slim chance of being placed in a match with Amy, I guess Arceus decided to screw with my chances and just make it happen after all.

By the time I had pushed my jaw back up, Amy had made her way to the fight area as well. She threw off her red school hoodie, revealing her to be wearing a red tank top that had an Adidas logo on it. I do admit, that company does have some good sports gear, I suppose. She then cracked her knuckles as she looked at me with a grin of confidence.

"Heheh, who knew that I'd be your opponent? This will definitely be interesting." She said to me as she took a fighting stance. I quickly slipped off my jacket placing it off to the side. "Yeah, this should be good." I nodded to her as I took on a look of concentration.

Something in my gut told me I wouldn't be able to beat her, but... That didn't mean I won't give her my one hundred and ten percent. I'll give her my all. I looked around briefly to see that most of the students' eyes were on us.

Mr Fritz blew his whistle, signaling for us to start our match.

Amy ran forward and went to use Dragon Rush on me. I quickly sidestepped her attack to dodge, and I had successfully done so. However, she then went to use Dragon Tail when she was behind me, which caused me to take the hit and fall over.

She laughed for a moment, then used Rock Throw on me as she summoned a few rocks and proceeded to toss them at me. As the rocks were flung my way, I made energy course through my right paw and as they rocks came close, I smashed them with a punch, using Rock Smash. Amy sent a few more rocks my way, and I disposed of them with ease. Once she had stopped throwing the rocks at me, she smirked.

"Heh, not bad. Didn't think you had fighting blood in you." She chuckled, as she took the same fighting stance once again.

"I'm not one to fight and all, but that doesn't mean I can't pack a punch as well." I said to her while getting back into my somewhat mediocre fighting stance. Amy then charged forward once more, but I wouldn't let her get any further. I then charged up a Fire Blast attack and launched it towards her, and she seemingly dodged it, moving out of the way.

 _Just as I had expected._

Suddenly, I create a fireball out of thin air using my paws then launch it at the location of where she dodged too. The fireball hit Amy dead on, and she slid backwards on the ground. Although she deflected my attack and made it launch somewhere off to the side, it seemed to have done some sort of damage to her.

"Heh, not bad. That kind of stung." She said to me as she shook her right arm's wrist, seemingly a bit numb.

I smiled with pride, somewhat proud that Amy complimented me.

"However, the battle ain't over yet. From here on out, we'll fight at 100% from here on out. Got it?" She told me and I nodded.

"Right. I want it to get interesting now." I said, and we both chuckled.

We took our fighting positions once more, and we stared each other down, awaiting for one of us to make the first move. Neither of us blinked for the longest time, I swear. Our staring contest went on for Arceus knows how long, before I finally decided to make the first move. I charged forward while using Smokescreen to temporarily blind Amy, while I sneaked towards her off to the side. I was sure that she hadn't seen me go towards her from behind. I then concentrated making my fist become surrounded with a red and orange energy, having a Fire Punch attack at the ready. I navigated through my Smokescreen attack and eventually found Amy standing still and looking around. It seemed like she couldn't see where I was properly.

As quietly as I could, I slowly made my way towards her. My plan was to use the Fire Punch on her when I got close. However, as soon as I got within 5 meters from her, she immediately turned around and launched a Dragon Pulse attack in my direction. I didn't see it coming, and I took the hit. Her attack was powerful enough to even make the Smokescreen that was around the area go away. I got knocked back a few meters and I tumbled backwards on the floor.

I groaned in discomfort as I had gotten back up. I looked around me and I noticed that I was really close to going past the boundaries of the fighting area. Suddenly, from in front of me, I see Amy charging forward with such speed as she used Dragon Rush once more. I swiftly awaited for her to get close then socked her in the jaw using Focus Punch. Amy looked shocked, as if she didn't see it coming, and got launched backwards a few feet. Noticing it would be my time to strike, I ran forward at her charging up another Focus Punch attack, making energy flow through me and I concentrated on it to go to my right paw.

As Amy got back to her feet, I went forward and went to use Focus Punch. However, as I went to punch her, she went and used Mega Punch on me at the same time. While my fist has hit her cheek, her fist hit might at the same time.

So, in other words, we both punched each other at the exact same time. _How coincidental, huh?_

Getting hit by our attacks caused the both of us to get send flying backwards, and we once again had space between the two of us.

I groaned once more as I rubbed my cheek. Her punch stung, and I could imagine it was the same with mine. As I got up, I saw that Amy was doing the same as well while she also got up. Once she had gotten up, she then used Sandstorm to make me distracted, and it had worked. The effects of one using Sandstorm against an opponent is that their field of view is obstructed, and one cannot see properly in it. It also causes the opponent to take a bit of damage every so often. It would sometimes hurt the one who used it too, but... Since Amy is part ground type, she wouldn't be as affected by it.

So basically, she was immune and I wasn't, making me have another disadvantage at the moment.

I put an arm up to shield my eyes from the sandstorm, and I struggled to even see in front of me. I even struggled to see my own arms and such in front of me. I heard Amy charging up an attack from somewhere, but I couldn't pinpoint where it would come from. All I knew is that it would come from somewhere to my left, and it would be a powerful one as well, since I could feel the energy spiking from there. Actually, now that I think about it, if I felt where the energy would be, then that would mean Amy would be at that exact spot too!

I grinned partially as I made my way towards that spiking energy, continuing to use my arm to shield my face from the incoming sandstorm that tried to blind me as best as possible.

I eventually got to it, and to my surprise, Amy wasn't there! Instead, it was just a double of Amy. It seems that she used Double Team and went to try and confuse me. It certainly worked alright.

But wait... If Amy wasn't there, then where was she actually?

I heard a yell from behind me, and I immediately saw some sort of shockwave fly towards me. I tried to block them, but to no avail. I once again got sent flying backwards towards what I assumed was the boundaries of the fight area. Although Sonic Boom doesn't do much damage, it's a pain when someone practically spams it over and over again, which is what Amy had just done to me.

I got back up quickly and wiped some sweat off of my face. I was still somewhat blinded by the current sandstorm, even if it had toned down quite a bit, but even so I briefly took a chance to look around. I couldn't see anything, despite it being mostly sandy dust in the air. So then I did what I thought seemed logical in that situation.

I took a deep breath, readying up the fire in my heart, and used Flamethrower, releasing a bunch of flames throughout the battlefield area and everywhere in front of me. I DID NOT want Amy to get close and land another hit on me.

While I burst a bunch of flames around me, I noticed in a split second that Amy was literally an inch away from me and was about to use Dragon Tail to send me flying right out of bounds. I swiftly ducked under her tail and I swear that she genuinely looked surprised for a moment. After that brief second of shock from her, she quickly shook it off and went to use Dragon Rush once more since she were close. "Haha, admit defeat, Bryce!" She laughed as she was honestly REALLY close. I gasped, but then told myself not to panic.

Just as I thought of that, an idea flew into my head.

I quickly then picked her up and I could have sworn I had heard her gasp. I then grinned as I smashed her on the ground, using Seismic Toss. And like that, she had been thrown out of bounds. Amy looked at me with a look of shock.

As I fell back and took fast and deep breathes from a bit of exhaustion, I looked around at the bleachers and the students watching. Their expressions were all nearly the same as the expression that Amy had currently. They all had the face of surprise and/or shock as they stared at me. Even Francis and Tina looked somewhat surprised. I think I saw Aaron looked surprised, but he quickly looked away uninterested before anyone else would see or notice him. Mr Fritz was so surprised he has dropped his clipboard and the pen he held in his paw.

Eventually, Mr Fritz cleared his throat and everyone went to look his way.

"E-erm... I suppose Bryce would be the winner, due to disqualification by Amy going out of bounds." He spoke with shock in his voice while he went to pick up the stuff he dropped onto the floor. Honestly, I was surprised that little plan of mind had worked out in the end.

Actually, it was really _badass_!

I then went back over to Amy, who was still on the ground looking seemingly shocked. I poked her once, then she shook off the look of shock on her face then looked up at me. I put my paw out to help her up. "Hey, that was a good match." I gave her a small smile. She hesitated for a moment before she took my paw and I helped her up. I looked up at her as she dusted herself off. She coughed then looked away. "E-erm... Y-you got lucky. Next time, something like that won't happen." She told me as she picked up her hoodie that was on the ground then walked off. Amy seemed to be a bit of a sour loser.

While I slipped my jacket back on, I went to sit down next to Francis again, and he seemed to be still staring at me surprised. It was the same with Tina. After a bit, it felt awkward in a way.

I looked at them and coughed. "Uh... Guys? Could ya stop staring? It's... Kinda weird." I said to them, and they both nodded and looked away.

 **(POV Change: Francis)**

In all honesty, I did NOT expect Bryce to win that match. Knowing how strong and experienced Amy was, I thought it was inevitable that she would win the match. But then Bryce comes out of nowhere using Seismic Toss to give Amy an 'out of bounds' loss, which if I remember correctly, hasn't happened to her in a long time! Her battle record consists of 77 wins, 3 draws, 5 knockouts and 2 ring outs. Last time Amy had a ring out, it was one of her first matches here at this school when she just joined the battle team.

Regardless, the match Bryce and Amy had was pretty good.

I looked over at Bryce once again. "Dude, that was awesome! When did you learn to use Seismic Toss?" I asked him, and he turned to look at me. "It was I think a month ago maybe? It happened to be the first, but also the last day I went to the gym. I decided to lift 60 pounds, and I struggled at first but then, by miraculous chance, I lifted the weights easily. I literally thought I got strong in the span of 1 minute, but I found out I just learned Strength. Then from there, I got taught a few other fighting type moves." He said to me, chuckling a bit. I nodded, seemingly interested.

"Huh. That sounds cool." Tina said as she looked at Bryce. "Did Amy actually hit hard during the fight?"

"Yeah, she hits like a speeding train. Like, when we both exchanged punches, it made my cheek sting with pain." He said.

I couldn't help but laugh. "Uh, Bryce? Any punch to the cheek would sting like that." Once I said that, Tina and Bryce joined me in laughter.

To me, it seemed as if Bryce had some sort of potential to fight. It just needed to be found and unleashed. Maybe if I train him, just like how I trained Ethan the other day, he could become stronger.

Maybe one day, me and Tina could go and have a good training session with him. That would be great.

* * *

 **That's the end of this chapter, thanks for reading! :D**

 **As always, if you liked the chapter, remember to review if you have something to say about a chapter or even PM me if you have something to tell me. I'm open to any sort criticism and advice, since I'm still a novice when it comes to writing and stuff.**

 **Anyways, that's it from me! Have a good day, night, evening, afternoon, or whatever time of day it is. Peace!**

 ** _~DegenFluff_**


	17. The Mall

**Hey everyone, welcome back to another chapter of this story. :)**

 **Not much to say here today, other than I'm feeling a bit more cheerful than usual. Well? Let's get into this!**

 **And by the way, sorry for being late again. It's exam month, and the stressful part of it is upon me as you read this.**

 ** _Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon, or any other sort of copyright material used in this story. I only own 95% of the OCs and characters shown. Also, this story is also rated "M", which means that there is a lot of bad influences and such, including swearing, fighting, bloodshed, and even eventual sexual relations. Seriously, it's all said in the description of this story, people!_**

* * *

 **(POV: Francis)**

I decided to sleep in this morning. It was a typical Saturday, and I rarely got the chance to sleep in. But whenever I got the chance to sleep in and such, I would always take it. When I went to bed the night before, I felt a bit... Uneasy. I wasn't sure why. Throwing all my weird feelings aside, I fell into a deep slumber.

However, it wasn't a dreamless night for me. Not at all.

 _I open my eyes to see myself in that same, dark alley._

 _Rain fell from the sky. It was no drizzle either. It was a full on rainstorm. The sound of the rain pattering to the ground made me ears practically unable to hear anything but the rain._

 _I look around me to see that I was surrounded by Machokes, similar to the ones who had attacked my dad and I before. I grit my teeth, and growled a bit as I took a fighting stance. They all approached me slowly, and they all had the same malicious sort of grin on their face on their faces._

 _One of them went forward and went to use Mega Punch on me immediately. However, I managed to duck under their punch, and hit them with a swift uppercut to their jaw. The attack I gave them sent them flying upwards and make him fall back to the ground. When they hit the ground however, they dissolved into dust and seemingly disappeared._

 _Despite that, it didn't seem to falter the other Machokes that headed towards me._

 _Suddenly, two ran forward and went to attack me at the same time. They both launch Focus Blasts directly me. Noticing that there were also Machokes behind me as well, I did the ol' sidestep technique and dodged their attack entirely. The attacks went off and hit the enemies behind me, causing them to dissipate completely. Although it had just destroyed quite a few of them behind me, there was still a lot of enemies surrounding me._

 _Then they all started attacking at the same time._

 _At first, three Machokes came right after me and went to tackle me. Luckily, I jumped upwards to dodge their attacks and they just tumbled right into each other. Soon after, they dissolved into thin air._

 _They started to attack in bigger intervals, eventually sending 5-8 of them right at me. At first, I dispatched of them no problem. However, they started to tire me out as they were sending more and more of them at a time to attack me. Eventually, they got me pinned down and they just repeatedly went ham on me._

 _I took a multitude of attacks from them. Mega Kicks, Focus Punches, etc. Heck, they used attacks that I'm sure they wouldn't be able to know. Regardless, pain surged throughout my body. Every time they hit me with an attack, I would yell out in pain a bit louder than the last time. I wasn't able to get out of it either, since they had my arms and legs pinned to the ground._

 _Lightning danced across the sky, and the thunder crashed and roared throughout the area. It was so loud that even a deaf person could hear it loud and clear._

And that was what caused me to wake up.

I physically yelled out a bit as I went to sit up straight immediately. I gasped as I looked around. I saw I was back in my room. The fabric of my clothes that I was wearing, a black polo shirt and shorts, to be exact, stuck to my fur. I had seemed to have been sweating profusely in my sleep. I looked down at my paws as my breathing slowed and I calmed myself down. I groaned as I laid myself back down in my bed, putting an arm on my head and sighing. _I had a nightmare._

I grabbed the face cloth that I had on my bedside table and wiped my face with it. It's what you do with those, right? Anyways, as I did that, I frowned.

Why did I have that dream? What did it signify? And was it important that I acknowledge it to anyone in any way?

I sat up once again, not feeling as panicky as a few minutes ago. I stretched a bit, yawning somewhat loudly. As I moved to sit on the edge of the bed, I looked outside. I could see that it was pouring out there.

Rain.

I saw the lightning flash outside, and after a few seconds, I heard the thunder crash from somewhere nearby. It was somewhat close, but not too close. That explained the thnder I heard in my dream, I guess.

Eventually, I knew I had places to go to and I got up off of my bed. Alice had planned for Bryce, Tina and I to go hang out at the local mall earlier this week. Amy made it apparent that she didn't want to go, saying that she didn't want to look bad or something. That's fine with me, I suppose. Anyways, despite the rain, I had a weird feelings that everyone else were going to go to the mall anyways.

I went over to my closet and opened it, revealing the somewhat small "collection" of clothes that I had.

In my closet, there were quite a few shirts and such hanged up, along with a few hoodies and sweaters that I would wear from time to time, depending on my mood. The closet of mine also held the clothes I liked the most. The other generic t-shirts and such would go in the drawers I had next to my closet. Other than my torn up purple tracksuit and purple gi I had in there, there wasn't any sort of clothes that I had that really interested me enough to wear. I mean, why would I wear something that is practically torn up? Or even better, why would I wear something that doesn't even fit me?

Wanting to get going, I just took a green hoodie that fit me snugly along with a white t-shirt to put on underneath. Yeah, I'm not one of those people that wears nothing underneath a hoodie.

I then went over to my drawers and took out a pair of black track pants. Don't blame me for liking track pants, okay? I hate jeans, and I only wear khakis and such at certain occasions or parties. So, I result to either wearing shorts (usually only during late spring and during the summer) or track pants. Besides, they're pretty comfy if you ask me. Kinda funny, since I barely do any sports. Like I mentioned before, the only excerise I usually get is through training with Tina nowadays or training alone or with Ethan in my backyard.

I took a quick shower as well, since I did smell like sweat.

After I had dried myself off and I had slipped on my chosen articles of clothing, I then looked over at the scabbard I had hanged up on the wall beside my bed. My sword was kept nicely in it. Did I really need it? We were going to a mall. It wasn't like nothing bad would happen there. Besides, mall security would probably want me to leave once they see me walking around with a sword.

I picked up my wallet off of the bedside table and looked inside of it. I saw two 10 dollar bills, and quite a few coins. After counting my money, I found out that I had barely over twenty seven dollars, which wasn't too bad. I wouldn't be buying much anyways, unless I find something that I might need or possibly want.

Then again, Alice would probably by me something with her money, which is something I hate. I never like when people buy me things. Makes me feel like I owe them something, even though they always tell me it's fine and that I don't.

I left my room and headed downstairs to eat breakfast. Considering what food we had left, and considering that Ethan had eaten the leftovers from last night's dinner (it was bacon, by the way), I went to go eat the next best thing that was around; cereal.

Me eating cereal was pretty uneventful. Only exciting part was that I accidentally spilled some milk onto the floor. I cleaned it up before anyone would notice. Not like anyone would notice anyways, since I remembered that my mother and Ethan went out to go do groceries or something. I don't quite remember what, but they were out doing something, that's for sure.

After I finished up my bowl of cereal and cleaned it up in the sink, I decided that I would probably have to check in with the others before I get going anywhere, just in case they canceled due to the rain, which actually started to hold up and stop.

I took out my phone and decided to try texting Alice first, since she was the one who planned the whole thing in the first place.

 **Franny: Hey Alice we still going out to the mall?**

Hey, don't mind the nickname she gave me. Honestly, she thought it was cute, and it stuck, alright? Anyways, she texted me back about 2 or 3 minutes later.

 **Alice: Of course! Check if Tina and Bryce could still make it too okay?**

 **Franny: Yea ok, txt you back in a bit.**

Despite the thought that told me to ask her why she couldn't do it herself, I decided to do it anyways. I do try to be helpful, you know. I went over to my contacts list and scrolled down until I found Bryce's number. I tapped on the call button, and placed the phone near my ear. For a few seconds, I heard the somewhat obnoxious ringing that a typical phone would make when it would be waiting for an answer. At least, it was obnoxious to me. Eventually, he did pick up.

"H-hello?" He said to me through the phone. I noticed that he was breathing heavily, and I wondered what was going on.

"Uh... Hey dude. What's up?" I asked him. I heard a bunch of shuffling on the other end before he continued talking.

"I... I'm fine, just woke up and all." He sounded like he had just ran a marathon or something. Like, he was out of breath.

"Dude, is something wrong? You sound like you ran a marathon." I asked him, confused. He didn't say anything for a few seconds, but I did hear a sink running through the phone. Was he washing dishes or something? Brushing his teeth? Whatever involved a sink, he could be doing anything.

"U-uh, no. Nothing is wrong." He said, coughing a bit. That made my suspicions worsen. What exactly did he do to be out of breath? He wasn't telling me something. I mean, not that I needed to know, really. I was just brutally curious.

"There's clearly something up. You're out of breath, and you seem to be nervous. Did you do something?" I confronted Bryce about it. He didn't speak for another 5 seconds.

"O-oh, um... No." He said, adding more to the suspicions I had for him at the moment.

Then, everything clicked together, like puzzle pieces. Him being out of breath? Him using a sink? Him sounding nervous? Perhaps... I had "caught" him in the afterglow of after he had " _done the deed_ ". It's proven that he does it every so often, after all.

"Bryce... Were you...?" I asked him, without going too in too deep right off the bat. More silence for a few seconds.

"N-Nooo, not at all.." He said very nervously. If I were to imagine, he was probably blushing very hard. I was silent, and eventually he spoke up again.

"O-okay fine, you caught me!" He coughed. "W-why did you even call me at this time? You know I sometimes... Do this sort of thing." He was clearly embarrassed. Then, I remember why I had to call him in the first place.

"Bryce, chillax. It's fine, I won't say anything." I said to him, and I heard him sigh in relief. This wasn't the first time I caught him. Of course, I never _actually_ caught him doing it physically. It was always through the phone.

I continued to talk to him. "But anyways dude, remember what Alice said? We were supposed to go to the mall today. You think you could make it?" I asked him. He answered pretty fast.

"Oh yeah, I remember. Yeah, I can go. Where were we meeting again?" He said to me. I remember Alice saying that we were to meet at the front of the school at around 10am or something. Right now, it was only 9am.

"Front of the school. I'll come by your house in like 45 minutes, so be ready." I told him.

"Alright, I will. I gotta take a shower anyways." He said, and we both had a chuckle. Though, his was more nervous than mine. We said our goodbyes and such, and I ended the call. I scrolled through my contacts once again. Eventually, I found Tina's number. I hit the call button once more, and awaited an answer. She answered quickly.

"Yeah, hello?" She said over the phone.

"Hey, Tina. It's me, Francis. I called about th-"

She then cut me off. Apparently, she knew what I was going to say. "The mall thing with Alice, right? Don't sweat it, I'll be going. A little rain won't stop me." I looked a bit surprised.

"O-oh, okay. How'd you know I was gonna ask that?" I asked her, and she giggled on her end.

"Well... I just knew. That, and I remembered it was today." She said. She didn't sound like she had just woken up at all.

"I see. Well, we'll meet you at the front of the school at 10am. Something like that, got it?" I said to her.

"Yeah, I got it. Thanks for checking in. See you later and stuff." Tina said, before curtly hanging up. Shit, she didn't get me to say bye. Oh well.

I went back to my contacts list and decided to call Alice instead. Texting wasn't very reliable, especially with my phone. I mean, we all used Discord for messaging, but when it came to me having to rely on cellular texting, my connections were terrible at times. So I avoided use of it. I pressed the call button for the third time today, and awaited an answer. She picked up after listening to the dial tone for briefly 10 seconds.

"Oh, hey Franny!" She said happily over the phone. I groaned a bit, facepawing.

"Alice, could you not call me that? It sorta gets on my nerves." I said, chuckling nervously.

* * *

"Oh, my bad." She apologized, then continued. "So, are they able to still go?" She asked me. I now had the knowledge that Bryce and Tina were able to go.

"Yes, they're going. We're all meeting at the front of the school, correct?" I asked her.

"Yep! Well, cool! I need to get ready now, so see you later!" She said cheerfully to me.

"Alright. See you in a bit then." I told her, before ending the call.

Placing my phone down on the coffee table in front of me, I sat down on the couch. I began to think. What could I possibly do in the spare 40 minutes that I had before I needed to get going? Then, an idea came into my head. It was a chore, but it was something to do, I suppose.

I went back to my room and decided to give my sword a good polish. And no, I don't mean _THAT_ sword. Besides, my sword needed to be polished. It hadn't been polished good since the day I started using it.

I finished faster than I thought, with a little over 10 minutes before 9:40. I figured it wouldn't hurt to go to Bryce's house early.

After I wrote a note for my mother to see on the able that indicated where I would be, I opened the front door and looked outside. I noticed the rain had stopped, but it was still damp here and there. Just in case, I grabbed my light rain coat. It was simple, just an average black-colored rain coat. I slipped it on over my hoodie, then ran out the door.

Took me about 5 minutes, since I avoided the puddles left by the rain, but I eventually got to Bryce's house.

I curtly knocked on the door a few times, and awaited for him to open up. After about a few seconds, I heard the door unlocking and he opened the door. He was wearing his usual clothes; blue jeans and his zip-up sweater. He smiled when he saw me.

"Oh, hey Francis. I'm just about ready to get going." He told me as he slipped on his jacket. I nodded.

"Alrighty." I said to him. I had a feeling it would be better if I didn't bring up the events from earlier.

We left his house and headed for the school. On our walk, we talked about quite a few topics. We spoke of video games, potential crushes, and more.

"Hey, dude? Could I ask you something?" Bryce said to me as we walked. I hopped over another puddle, similar to how a child would. I looked at him.

"Oh yeah? What is it?" I say to him as I jump over more puddles as we walked.

"Well... I was thinking. You think I should ask Amy to train me? What I mean is, like in battling skills?" He said, and I almost tripped and fell into a puddle.

"W-wait, so you're telling me you want to train with Amy?" I said to him, and he nodded.

"Yeah, why not? Me and her should bond more anyways." He told me, shrugging. Honestly, that would be a good idea. Besides, I'm already training with Tina, and Ethan if you count him.

"I suppose so." I agreed with him. "Just know that one day I'll see how good you've gotten." We then had a good chuckle as we both continued our walk towards the school.

Once we got there, we met up with Tina, who was waiting for us at the front of the school just like we agreed to do. Apparently she had been there for about 10 minutes already by the time we got there.

"Seriously? You came early?" Bryce said to her, somewhat confused. She giggled, and nodded. "Of course I did. Tardiness is something I usually don't have." All we needed to do now was wait for Alice. In the meantime, we basically chatted once again. Had discussions about how so and so happened at school or how some dumbass was cheating in a game that Bryce played. Oh well, they were somewhat long discussions. Alice did eventually come, even though she was about 5 minutes late.

"S-sorry I'm late, guys!" She called to use she ran over to where we stood. Seems like she ran from her house, since she looked somewhat out of breath.

"It's no problem, really. It's not like we aren't patient." Tina said, and shrugged a bit.

"Yeah. Besides, why would we leave without you when you were the one who planned the whole hangout in the first place?" Said Bryce, as he took a sip of water from his bottle. Surprisingly, for a slight fire type, he seems to be able to not get effected by water in any sort of way when he drinks it. Alice smiled at all of us.

"Thanks for waiting on me. Now, let's get going, shall we?" She said, and we all nodded. She led the way towards the mall, and we followed. Of course, we all knew where the mall was, having been there multiple times. We all just walked at a somewhat slow pace is all. It didn't matter, since we were all enjoying our company.

We talked, we laughed... It was a good time.

"...and the guy at the corner store said they didn't have fidget spinners! Wanna know why? All the kids in Kindergarden bought them!" Bryce said, and we all chuckled. In all honesty, fidget spinners being the new "craze" and all make me want to puke. What's so special about them? You just... Spin them. In your paw. And that's it. It's practically a waste of money, since the spinning piece of metal (or plastic) is a piece of junk. Useless.

"It's pretty terrible what the youth do nowadays. Back then, I practically enjoyed watching cartoons every morning. Nowadays, kids would rather be spoiled and ask for so much that they don't need." I said, and they all agreed with me. "Of course, some kids are cool and aren't like that."

"At least some can try to redeem this generation of kids." Tina shrugged as she peeled open a lollipop sucker wrapper and placed the sucker in her mouth. In the recent days, she's seemed to have gotten attached to those... Sucker things. Especially the grape flavored ones. Personally, I liked the root beer flavored ones.

We eventually got to the mall, and we all went inside. Honestly, we didn't really plan out this whole thing very well. We never really said which stores we were going to visit. So, we basically just visited any store that seemed interesting.

Bryce visited the video game store with me, and we browsed the wares a bit. Heck, Alice and Tina joined in on our browsing session. Turns out they play some video games. Tina played a lot of _League of Legends_ apparently. I, for one, am terrible at it, which is why I don't really play it. Alice was checking on the releases of a few upcoming anime games. According to me, she seemed pretty excited. Bryce was checking out _Destiny 2_ , which was apparently set to release a few months from now. He was hyped for that to come out, since he did preorder it and all. That, and he was a HUGE Destiny fan. I was only there for... Well, to be honest, nothing. I just wanted to see what was there. Nothing that interested me, really. Other than a green mug that had the triforce on it. I was a bit of a _Legend of Zelda_ fan too.

After we went to that store, we visited an anime store that Alice enjoyed. Of course, she gawked at quite a few things on the shelves. Me, Tina and Bryce just had a look around. The place had a lot of stuff around the place, may it be from One Piece or Attack on Titan, and even more. Heck, some of the anime I saw there were some that I had not even heard of. By the time we left, Alice was holding 5 bags full of stuff that she had bought.

"Hehe, I don't have this figurine yet!" She said, as she held a small figurine version of Luffy from One Piece. She giggled as she placed it back into one of her bags while we all walked out of the store. If you were to ask her if she needed all that stuff, she would answer you with a clear yes.

We then headed over to a shop that had a few training items in there, such as clothes and protein shake formulas and stuff. I'd honestly rather take clothes than typical protein mixtures. I never liked those. Anyways, I went in with Tina and Bryce while Alice opted to wait for us outside of the store. She wanted to check if she got everything in her bags. We had a look around and there quite a few training clothes that I looked at. I thought about buying a new purple tracksuit for myself, but then I found something else.

As I looked through the wares of the place, I noticed that was hanged up. Curious, I went over to it and checked it out. Taking it off the rack, I took a close look at it. It was a blue gi, no doubt about it. Upon further inspection, I saw a sort of logo on the back of the top part of the gi. The logo itself was a sort of orange crest, with a head of a Lucario in the middle of it. The gi also seemed to come with a white belt and white arm bands with it. In all honesty, it looked pretty snazzy.

Tina came over and saw me looking over the gi. She nudged me. "Hey, that looks kinda cool. Try it on." She urged, gesturing to the nearby change rooms. I looked at her and nodded.

"R-right, maybe I will." I said as I strolled over to one of the empty change rooms and entered it, closing the door behind me.

I changed out of my current clothes quickly, slipping them all off. I then slipped on the top of the gi, then the bottom. It was pretty snug on me. The top felt like a somewhat loose shirt. I tied the belt around my waist. I slipped on the white arm bands as well. Looking in the mirror on the wall, I stared at myself a bit. I looked... Pretty good in this gi. I turned slightly, and looked at the crest on my back. The Lucario crest made me feel curious as to why it was there.

I walked out of the change room to see Bryce and Tina waiting for me. Tina smirked.

"Well, look at ya. You could fight, and now you even look the part for fighting." She giggled, and I blushed a little.

"T-Thanks." I muttered, embarrassed. I scratched the back of my head.

"It looks nice on you, man. Suits you, honestly." Bryce said, giving me a thumbs up. I smiled at him.

"Heh, you really think so?" I said, looking at the gi I wore. It was somewhat loose, but it wasn't too big on me. In fact, it fit almost perfectly on me. Bryce then looked off to the side and looked perplexed.

"I find it weird that you chose that blue one specifically when those clothes come in different colors." Bryce said, pointing at the nearby racks. I looked, and he was right. They were indeed in different colors. I checked those out, but they didn't have a Lucario crest like the blue one did. Heck, it had different crests on them with different Pokemon featured in those crests.

"Well... I guess I just like rocking blue on the battlefield." I said, shrugging at the same time. "I think I'll buy this, honestly," I said as I strolled back into the change room and switched into my other clothes.

I came back out with the full gi folded nicely in my arms. "Yeah, I think I'll buy this." I said, grinning. Bryce and Tina nodded, and we headed for the cashier. Turns out the gi was pretty cheap, due to it being 50% off. 10 dollars for an expensive-looking gi? I'd take that opportunity first chance I get. After we bought it, we left the store to find Alice finishing up on sorting her collectibles.

"Oh, hey guys!" Alice said in her usually cheerful voice. She noticed the bag I had my gi in. "Hm? Oh, you bought something? What'd you buy?" She said curiously. I took my gi out and showed her.

"I got this cool gi that'll use for training and such now, since I'd rather not destroy my usual clothes in training. It seems very durable too." I said, tugging on the fabric of the gi. Alice nodded.

"Cool. I can imagine you look nice in it?" She giggled. Bryce nodded.

"He did look cool wearing them. Heck, I think it suits him well." He said. I blushed, somewhat flattered by his words.

"Heh, thanks Bryce." I rubbed the back of my head and we all had a good chuckle.

The rest of the time spent there was pretty boring, in all honesty. Other than Bryce ordering a Subway sandwich for himself, nothing else happened.

I got home to find my mother and Ethan already there. Ethan off doing whatever he does on the weekends (aka video games usually), and my mother was sorting the groceries in the fridge and the cabinets.

"Hi mom, I'm home." I said as I slipped off my rain coat. She looked over at me.

"Oh, hi. Did you have fun?" She asked, and I nodded. Then she noticed the plastic bag that I had. "Francis, what did you buy? It better not be expensive." She said, crossing her arms. My mother had problems with me spending my money, and tries to track my purchases. There was no use in lying to her, so I took the gi out from the bag and showed it to her.

"I bought this. It would be better if I used something like these rather than using my other clothes and destroy them. And they cost me 10 dollars since it was half off." I said to her, and she nodded.

"I see... So, does it fit you? I want to see you wearing them." She told me, and I nodded.

"Oh, alright. I'll go change now." I told her, and I ran upstairs and into my room. I quickly changed out of my clothes and into my gi once again. Once again, still a good fit on me. I ran back downstairs to my mother, who had now just finished sorting the groceries. She looked over at me, and smiled a bit.

"Wow, those do look dandy on you." She said. Who uses the word dandy anymore? Regardless, it was a compliment.

"Heh, thanks mom." I said to her, grinning proudly. I was happy that I had gotten that gi. Makes me feel I'm rocking the family colors of my dad. Made me feel like I was him.

It was a nice feeling, really.

* * *

 **Geez, it's super hot down here.**

 **Anyways, hopefully you all enjoyed this chapter! Took long to do, I know. But hey, since the summer is coming up, that means more chapters! :D**

 **But first, exams. *Sigh***

 **~DegenFluff**


	18. Plan Enacted?

**Hiya! Welcome back to this darn story! Happy to see my regular peeps dropping in to see the last chapter, and hopefully this chapter too.**

 **I got busy with exams and such, which explains my lack of content. Sorry about that.**

 ** _Disclaimer: I, DegenFluff, do not own Pokemon. I just own the OCs portrayed in this story. This story is also rated M for many reasons that I've stated in the past, and I'm sure you all know what I mean._**

* * *

 **(POV: Francis)**

"Francis, could you pass the salt?"

We sat at our usual lunch table again, and I looked over at who asked for the salt. It was Tina, and it seemed she wanted more salt on her fries. I picked up the salt shaker that was near me and handed it over to Tina. She nodded to me happily.

"Thanks Francis!" She tells me from across our table and I nodded.

"No problem." I tell her.

The past week or so has been... well, to be honest, things have been boring to me at least. Sure, the training me and Tina were doing was certainly satisfying my thirst for action, but it's just been getting stale. Even though our battling sessions in gym class had been pretty exciting, I've wanted... more. You know what I mean? I'm no Goku, who just craves fighting, but I've just had the desire for some good action recently. I know the events with Aaron happened 2 weeks ago and all, but I've been wanting to get some more action.

 _And not in that way either._

It's just indescribable to me. I'm unable to explain it. It's just a weird feeling; to want to fight someone, to fight anyone for that matter. I like this feeling of adrenaline and excitement for fighting flowing through my body, but... I also don't. As much as I train and stuff, I actually would rather prefer to stay out of fights and see if I could find another way to end a fight without physical means and such. Kinda stupid, but it's better than one of us coming home with tears in our clothes and bruises all over our bodies, right?

I just train for the sake of protecting myself, and at times, the ones close to me. I want to be able to prevent an event from happening that would cause one of my friends or family to be hurt in the process. I _don't_ want to lose someone else.

I must have been in deep thought for a while, because Bryce had to shake me to get me out of my 'trance'.

"Dude, you there?" Bryce said, shaking me again. I looked around briefly then nodded.

"H-huh? Oh yeah, s-sorry." I apologized to my german sheppard friend. "I was just... thinking about something." Bryce then looked at me curiously, along with everyone else. Seems like they wanted to know as well.

"Really? You wanna talk to us about it?" Bryce said, looking at me quizzically. I thought about it for a second, then nodded. I might as well tell them my feelings.

I sighed briefly, then began talking. "So recently, I've just been getting the desire to fight more. I'm not sure what it is, I wanna be able to fight more." I scratch the back of my head. "Ugh, its kinda... hard to explain, really." I chuckle nervously, hoping that they'd get my idea.

"Ah, I see! Maybe we should spar more often then, huh?" I heard Tina say, smiling. Sparing sessions at her place would get pretty intense, and would usually end with us cleaning up her backyard.

I looked back at her and grinned. "Heh, I suppose so." I say to her. Amy then stood up and scoffed.

"Me and you should spar sometime, just so I could see for myself on what level you are on." She said, seemingly confident in her abilities. I nod to her. "I see. Well, when that happens, I'll give it my all." She gave me a smirk, and crossed her arms. I'm sure she was excited for that to happen, but didn't show it.

Alice giggled as she pat my shoulder. "Hehe, just be careful who you fight. Don't wanna go close to breaking yourself like you do when you fought Aaron." She said to me, being her usual self. She watched over most of us here, and she worried about us too. She's quite the good friend. "Right, of course I'll be careful who I fight." I nod to her, and she smiles happily. I'm unsure of what it is, but Alice can be quite adorable at times.

"Speaking of sparring, maybe me and you should go one on one sometime." Bryce said, giving me a thumbs up. "I kinda wanna see how I fare against you too."

I grinned happily, and nodded. "Heck yeah. Whenever you want, best buddy." I put out my paw to give him a bit of a fist pump, and he pumped his fist against mine.

And after that, we began discussing how we'd make everything play out. I was certainly very excited.

 **(POV Change: Aaron)**

Clutching the strap of my bag, I walked down the halls of the school. Today was just another boring day, so far.

I looked around as I walked, hoping to find my usual friends that I hanged out with. And I eventually did so, finding them at the lockers near a classroom. I walked up to them and went to say hi, but the moment they saw me, they stopped me.

"Uh... dude? Sorry, but you can't hang around us anymore, man." One of the guys there, a jaguar named Andy, said to me. I looked at at them confused.

"What? Why not, Andy?" I said, a bit annoyed. Andy looked at the others, a Wartortle named Gary and an Ursaring named Fred, then looked back at me and frowned.

"You're... just not cool anymore, man. All you've been talking about is how that fox Francis has beaten you twice and that you'll eventually get your revenge... again." He said, then huffed. "Besides, you bullying everyone around here ain't as funny as it was before. So... sorry about this, but you better get lost."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Were my so-called 'friends' turning their backs on me?! I couldn't believe this! Not one bit!

"You've gotta be joking me! I'm the one giving you all this stuff that I got for you guys!" I yelled at them, but Andy crossed his arms and shook his head.

"Yeah, but they were stolen. We never wanted other people's junk anyways, Aaron." He huffed once more as he grabbed his bag. "Hope to never see you around us again, Aaron." He turned and left, along with Gary and Fred. I was at loss of what to say. They all walked off, not looking back at me. Those were literally the only friends I had, and they turned and left me alone with my thoughts. I growled, and balled my hand into fist. How could they turn their back on me?! Don't they know who I was?!

And then it hit me; I was Aaron. The one Charizard who bullied everyone without a second thought. The one guy who had the reputation of being the worst Pokemon to be around in the school. I wasn't liked by anyone around here. It shouldn't be a surprise that... they would leave me alone like that. I'm not good, not at all.

I shook my head, and growled to myself. No, I was _THE_ Aaron! I couldn't have possibly have been at fault here! It... it's all Francis' fault! He's made me look bad, and now even my only friends won't hang out with me! I really should give him a piece of my mind, and exact my revenge against him once and for all! I'll make him believe that he should have not spared me that time after all!

But of course, that will come to get him in due time. I do have a carefully formulated plan to do that, after all.

Heck, maybe enacting the first part of my place would be a good idea. I need to find them and find a way to befriend them. And then, the rest of my plan will go as it is. I'll stab him in the back when he and his friends least expect it, and get my revenge! Its foolproof! Like, there is NO WAY this plan of mine can fail! Of course, I would need to find them first.

Since it was the lunch hour, it would mean they would all be together. Probably socializing together or something. Where woul d they be, you ask? Well, knowing them, they'd probably be in the school's cafeteria. I, for one, hate being in places that have too many people around it, so I mostly stay out of the cafeteria. That, and... I sorta got banned from there after destroying the vending machine they had after it frauded me a bag of chips three times in a row.

But, I'm only banned from getting food from the cafeteria. They didn't say anything about me going in there to talk with friends, did they? Of course, this is assuming that they're in the cafeteria. I better not be going into the cafeteria for nothing!

I stroll down the hall with my hands in my pockets, and I notice people moving out of their way to avoid me. I wouldn't blame 'em, honestly. Of course people would be scared of me. I had quite the reputation of being what of the strongest and meanest in the school. Having that on my shoulders, it sorta allows me to be able to take whatever I want from people. Though, ever since Francis and Tina bested me the first time, people seemed a bit more... eager, to not ablige to my requests. Makes me sick that Francis could interfere with my life and make me look bad. I already stuff completely fine, and he goes and ruins my streak!

But like I said before, I have to wait for the right chance to strike. Attacking him head-on won't seem to work, like the previous two times I tried before.

I walked into the cafeteria and crossed my arms, scanning the place to hopefully see Francis and his typical crew around here. Eventually, I spotted the fox, eating his lunch at a table along with his friends. The cafeteria tables were made to where only 5-6 people could sit at one table, so it was practically perfect for them. Getting a bit closer, I decided to look over at who else was at the table. Of course, Francis was there, like I mentioned. I also saw that grem girl, Tina. I'll get my revenge on her too, in time. There was also that guy, Bryce. From what I remember, I don't think I've went after him before, but I'm sure he knows to stay away. I do remember he recently did a sparring match with Amy in gym class though. Oh, and speaking of her, Amy was there too. If things got hairy, she'd definitely come at me immediately. She might be full of herself, but she tends to hit like a truck. Besides, I know she tries not to start fights, but there is a big chance that she could go right after me if I approach. And there was Alice, if I was right? All I know and remember is that she's quite the fan of anime.

I felt a rush of nervousness in me. Come on, Aaron! It's nothing to be nervous about. You're just talking to the guy who singlehandedly beat you twice in a row! I started to sweat as well, confirming my thoughts that I was indeed nervous about encountering them a third time.

Eventually, I took a deep breath, and huffed. I WILL do this. I WILL befriend Francis! And in the end, I'll reign victorious over him!

I make my way over to their table, still having a feeling of nervousness in me. I think it was the German Sheppard who was first to notice my approach, because once he glanced at me, he glared right at me. He also stood up as well.

"Aaron... why are you here?" Bryce said, growling a bit as he balled his paw up into a fist. Everyone else looked at him for a moment then noticed my presence soon after, and it just went by so quickly. I saw Francis, Tina and Amy stand up as well and look at me as if I were going to attack them. I wasn't, but... that didn't mean I didn't want to.

"I kinda wanna know as well, to be honest. I hope you don't have any sorts of bad intentions, Aaron." Francis said, crossing his arms and glaring at me. He seemed confident that he could beat me up a third time. What a joke. Of course, as much as I want to put him in his place, I need to be able to enact my plan. I rubbed my arm a bit, shaking off what little nervousness in me and spoke up.

"Well... for one, I kinda wanna apologize for the last times I tried to... well, simply put, beat you up." I said, trying to fake my apology and make it sound as real as possible. Kinda off-topic, but I've recently been taking up acting lessons from some drama school on weekends. No one really knows about it, except me. Oh, and Shiva, my wolf roommate. She promised not to tell anyone.

Anyways, I also put a bit of guilt on my face, to seal the act. Francis looked at me suspiciously, raising an eyebrow. "Really? Cause last I checked... you were really wanting to kill me the last time we met. What makes me think you've changed and actually learned your lesson this time?" He said in a somewhat stern tone. I sighed, and frowned a bit. I needed this to look as real as possible.

"Well... you wouldn't know, that's the thing. But, I want to change. For the better, if possible." I said, having a bit of sadness in my voice. "I realized that... I don't actually have any friends, and I'm kind of... okay, I'm a huge jerk." Bryce looked at me, seemingly agreeing. "You sure are quite the jerk, attacking them from behind last time." He said, shaking his head.

"L-listen, I'm sorry for all that, alright? I want to be a better person, and it starts by... apologizing to you. All of you." I say, as I bow slightly. To be honest, I was trying not to gag over the words I were saying. Ugh, this plan hurts my pride, but I'll do it, knowing I'll get my payback sooner or later. "S-so... I'm sorry for causing you and your friends trouble, and I hope you can forgive me for it." I visibly see Bryce and Tina have a look of disgust on their faces.

"What? Grr... you have some nerve to come here and try to apologize! You almost KILLED Francis and Tina in that forest." Bryce said, growling as he crossed his arms. He didn't seem impressed, as was Tina.

"Hmph! You may be apologizing, but what you did? We're still feeling the aftermath of that, especially Francis. He's been walking differently since then." Tina said, crossing her arms as well and looking away. Looks like they wouldn't except my apology, even if it was a fake one. I looked to the floor, putting on a look of sadness and guilt on my face...

"Apology accepted, Aaron."

I looked up, looking surprised. Who said that? It was none other than Francis, and he had a smile on his face. Bryce and Tina, as well as Amy and Alice, looked at him in shock.

"W-what? After all he did, Francis? And you'd still forgive him?" Bryce said, in disbelief. Francis shrugged. "Guys, its fine. Even though Aaron practically almost killed me, and although I'm not sure he'll change for sure... I trust he'll be mature and do so." He said, seemingly trying to tell them that his decision was a good one. I inwardly grinned. I was able to convince him, at least. All of Francis' friends looked at him in shock, unable to believe his actions. Heck, even Amy's jaw dropped, and I'm sure she wouldn't easily swayed or surprised.

"Y-you're really forgiving me?" I say, slightly faking the surprise in my voice. I was already surprised as is, but I felt like adding a bit more to make it seem legit, ya know? Francis nodded. "I don't really like dwelling on stuff that happened on the past, so its best we just forget about it and move on." He said, smiling as he walked over to me and put his paw out, basically telling me to shake it. "Let's shake on it. I'm glad you've had a change of mind." I looked at his paw, then at him. His friends were still quite bewildered at his actions towards me. Francis is too nice to realize I could never have a change of mind. All I wanted to do was unleash my revenge on him, but at the right time.

Taking my own clawed hand, I took his paw and shook it. I smiled a bit, looking down at him, since he was a bit shorter than I was. He nodded to me, having a smile of cheeriness on his face.

Soon, I would be able to punch his stupid fox face of his in. And I'll be laughing.

* * *

 **Not the longest chapter I've ever done. But hey, at least I decided to update before I go travel for two weeks.**

 **Sorry for such slow updates. Its the Summer now, so I shouldn't be making excuses to not update SFSS. I guess I've gotten lazy.**

 **But anyways, I'm DegenFloof, and this has been chapter 18. I really do hope your Summer is going well. Mine was alright, but I'm considering this being one of the worse summers I've ever had, to be honest. Hopefully you all enjoyed this chapter, and remember to leave a review if you have something to comment about in this story.**

 **See you in the next one! :D**

 **~Fluffington, Degenerate.**


	19. Unexpected Guest for a Trip

**Hey, guys! Welcome to Chapter 19 of Something Fluffy, Something Sly! I am your host, DegenerateFluffington, and its about time I get back into writing chapters!**

 **Once again, sorry for keeping you all waiting! I've gotten quite busy this summer, with vacations and a bunch of concerts for piano and such. But, I did get the chance to update the cover art for this story. How's it look? :P**

 **Also, CAN I ACKNOWLEDGE THAT I'VE HIT 1000 VIEWS ON THIS STORY?! Seriously, thanks a bunch for all the support everyone! :D**

 **But without further ado, let's get this going.**

 _ **Disclaimer: This story is rated M, and it isn't really a story that someone under the age limit should be reading. This story has offensive language, mature subject matters, and more. Not to mention upcoming lemons in future chapters and such. Also, I don't own Pokemon and any other franchises shown in this story.**_

* * *

 **(POV: Francis)**

So, it's been a week. So far, my suspicions of Aaron luring me into a trap of some sorts aren't really coming up as much anymore.

At first, it was around but I never showed it. As the week progressed, however, I couldn't see any sort of bad aura coming from Aaron. None at all!

There was the possibility that he had indeed changed for the better, but at the same time... a fraction of me couldn't believe it and it wanted me to not trust him. This entire week, I had my guard up every time I was around him, just in case he would pull a surprise attack or something. I bet my friends were doing the same, except the difference is that they were way more suspicious of him than I was. I could tell they were, since they seemed to not be as accepting as I was. They didn't act rude at all, unlike Amy sorta, but still. From the ways they looked at Aaron, I knew they didn't trust him.

But hey, I don't blame them! Not one bit. I sorta still don't trust him either, but I believe he could have undergone changes to the way he thinks after our last battle. To me, that's pretty good.

And this week was about to get better, since this weekend, we were to all go camping. Since we have an extra two days off of school, we all decided that we would all go camping for the 4 days we were off of school. Alice was going to drive us to the campgrounds too, since she had gotten her drivers license a year ago and she was allowed to drive a group of people. It was going to be me, Bryce, Tina, Alice and Amy. We were all pretty excited about it, too. But then... I go and mention bringing Aaron along with us, and everyone goes crazy during our talk about it over our Skype call.

"...so, I guess I'll be in charge of bringing the snacks, huh? Okay, I'm cool with that." Amy said, propping her arm against her head so she could lay down on her side and look at her computer screen properly. With her face shown on camera, she seemed to have her usual nonchalant facial expression as usual. On the other boxes of my laptop screen, it showed the facecams of everyone else. Alice, Bryce and Tina. Everyone was all here.

Except Aaron.

"Sounds good, Amy. Now that food is taken care of... oh, we would need someone to bring tents." Alice said, scratching her chin as she held her phone in her paw, it being the source of her face cam. "It would be better if they bring two or more tents though, because I think it would be a good idea if we slept in separate tents, you know?" Everyone agreed to that, since I think everyone would want to avoid some sort of awkward situations.

"I could bring some tents. I have a few in my garage." Bryce said, seemingly not even looking at his laptop's camera. If one were to guess, Bryce was probably playing Destiny. I could certainly tell he was, since I could hear his game volume come from his TV. It was fine, cause at least he was listening to the conversation and stuff. I see Alice smile on her camera.

"Hehe, that's perfect!" Alice says cheerfully, giggling a bit. "Everything seems to be coming together!"

We already talked about what I was going to do to contribute to our trip, and that would be camping supplies such as flashlights and one or two swiss army knives. Tools that could help us survive in the wilderness, just in case. We also all agreed that we would all bring our own sleeping bags and such, alongside our own clothes. Tina said she'd be bringing a bunch of entertainment for the trip, such as books and a portable TV that is run by rechargeable batteries. She said she'd bring a bunch of movies and even some anime, which was to Alice's liking. Tina joked that she would bring porn as well, and we all ended up having a good laugh. If she had brought porn, no doubt that something would escalate between one or two of us. Or several of us. Regardless of that, I'm glad it was a joke.

"Heh, I'd say we're practically all set to get going this weekend!" I say, excitement in my voice. But at that moment, I realized everyone _except_ Aaron were in this call. Being the idiot I sorta was, I decided to acknowledge this to them. "So uh... what's up with Aaron not being in this call?" Suddenly, the entire call went silent and it was as if everyone were looking at me right through their own screens. Heck, even Bryce stopped playing Destiny for a moment and went to look over.

"Uh, we're not bringing Aaron on this trip. That's for sure. It's why we didn't include him in this call." Amy said, glaring at her camera.

"Francis, come on. I really want to believe he's changed, but its just highly unlikely. Aaron is just... ugh, it's just hard to believe." Tina said, crossing her arms and looking somewhat annoyed.

"Aaron would just attack you when he get the chance if he comes with us! Heck, he'd probably attack you when all of us aren't looking." Bryce said, looking seriously into his camera. He said that as if he knew it were true.

"You can't be wanting Aaron to come on this trip, do you? What if he's been deceiving you all this time?" Alice said, having a stern look on her face.

I sighed. All my friends were all against Aaron. They didn't want to include him on this trip. They think that he would find a way to cause trouble and possibly attack me from behind. Although the possibility of that happening was there, I don't think he would. "Come on, guys. Really? Look, I understand that you all don't trust Aaron for blasting me to a different place before, but... he's different. I'm sure of it. If you all could just trust me on this one, he could show you all that he's changed on this trip of ours if you just let him come!" I said as my ears drooped. To me, Aaron seemed like he deserved an actual second chance to redeem himself.

The video call was silent for a moment. Eventually, Alice spoke up as she sighed. "Francis is right. Maybe we should give Aaron a chance. This entire time, we haven't been accepting him into our group as much as Francis has. He's the one being kind here. If we don't let Aaron in on this trip, we just end up bullying him in a way since we're excluding him." Alice explained, while she combed the fur atop of her head. Bryce looked back at his TV for a moment, before nodding as he agreed as well.

"I mean... I suppose giving him a small chance wouldn't hurt?" Bryce said, rubbing the back of his head. Tina then spoke up as well.

"Oh, I guess I'd be fine with Aaron coming along. But that doesn't mean I'll be watching him like a hawk." She said, crossing her arms. Seemed like everyone now agreed with me.

Well... except one. Amy didn't seem keen on trusting Aaron anytime soon. Eventually, the awkward silence finally took its toll on the flygon.

"Ugh... fine. But if he does something that I don't like, I won't hesitate to smash his face in." Amy mutters, crossing her arms. She didn't seem amused at all. Everyone seemed to be a bit nervous to let this slide, especially Alice and Tina, but I'm sure it could turn out fine.

"Alrighty, then its settled." I said, putting my paws together and smiling. "It's getting a bit late for me, so I'll talk to you all tomorrow." Everyone nodded and said they're goodnights and goodbyes and so on, and I yawned as I ended the call.

I shut off my laptop and closed it, then got up to place the laptop onto my work desk. I slip down into my boxers and I once again lay on my bed, ready to go to sleep. But then, I felt something lumpy under my pillow and I reach for it. Taking it out, I see that it was just my phone. I quickly turn it on to check the time.

"Hmm... its only quarter to eleven, huh? Eh, it wouldn't hurt to try calling him now to ask, would it?" I said to myself, scrolling through my contacts to find Aaron's phone number. Eventually, I found his number and I press the button to call him. I waited for him to answer, and the dial tone continued to sound for a while.

 **(POV Change: Aaron)**

Ugh, what a day. I just got home from working out at the gym. It's usually what I do at least once or twice a week.

I stepped out of the bathroom, having just finished brushing my teeth, and went down the hall to get to my room. On my way to my room, I gave a quick knock on Shiva's door. "Hey, Shiva? Um... the bathroom is free now, if you wanna use it and stuff." I said, and I heard shuffling from the inside of her room and she then opened the door. She wore her usual smirk on her face, but what she wasn't wearing was actual clothes. She just had her underwear on, basically. A girl's usual bra and panties, to be exact. Although I was used to her walking around the house almost naked like that, it didn't really stop me from staring.

"Thanks, Aaron. Took ya long enough." Shiva said, walking down the hall and towards the bathroom. I couldn't help but stare at her backside, her tail swishing to and fro. Her hips swayed slight as she walked. I shook the thoughts out of my head, then went back towards my room before I stared at her for too long and I would get uncomfortable in my pants.

I closed my bedroom door the moment I entered, then went over to my bed and sat right on it. I smiled to myself, knowing that this week had gone so well.

First off, I got Francis to forgive me and allow me into his circle of friends. Not only that, but I've bonded with them too. Doing work with them, doing exercises with them in gym class, you name it. Though, I'm sure its only Francis who trusts me. Everyone else seems to not trust me at all, and I don't blame them really. I did do a lot of bad things, but that's what I do! I really do think I need to get more closer to Francis and even get his friends to trust me more.

To be honest... I lowkey like being around them. Listening to what they have to say sometimes actually interests me. It's pretty cool, if you ask me.

But anyways, just as I was about to go to bed, I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket. I quickly take it out to see who could possibly be trying to call me at this time of night. I checked, and I saw that it was Francis. I looked a bit confused, not sure why he would be calling this late, but I answered my phone anyways.

"Hello? Francis?" I said, yawning slightly. He answered back to me, and he sounded a little tired himself.

"Yeah, it's me. D-did I wake you up or something?" Francis said, sounding a bit worried.

"N-no no, you didn't! I just... was about to sleep actually." I said back to him.

"I see. Well, I was wondering if you wanted to come with us to go camping over this long weekend. How about it?" He said. I grinned at my luck. Here's another opportunity to allow my friendship with Francis to blossom and become ever greater! Heck, I could even attempt to gain the trust of his friends as well, since I'm sure they aren't as keen as Francis is when it comes to me being invited on this trip. If I could gain their trust here, it would be even better!

Of course, I could take them all out when we get to the wilderness and just leave them there, but... it doesn't feel like it would be the right moment. When having a revenge plan where you need to get the trust of your enemy, you would need to befriend them and connect with them more, rather than just attack them immediately when they're alone. It would effect them more greatly, in my opinion.

Anyways, I replied to Francis after a moment of thinking, deciding that I would indeed go with them.

"Yeah, sure. I can go with you guys." I said. "Anything else I should bring with me?"

"Well, two things for sure; a sleeping bag and your own bag of clothes." Francis mentioned to me. "Alice and I will tell you more about it tomorrow at school."

"Got it. Guess I'll talk to you and her tomorrow then." I said to him, and he replied back to me. "Ah, right. I should let you get to your sleep. Have a goodnight."

"Alrighty then, hope you have a goodnight as well." I said to him, as he hanged up. As I placed my phone down onto my bedside table, I couldn't stop grinning.

This... was just _perfect_.

* * *

 **Well, this was a bit of a shorter chapter than normal. But do not fret, for the next chapter will be a guaranteed long chapter! :D**

 **Once again, thanks so much for the 1000 views everyone. It means a lot to me, honestly. I never thought this story would take off like it did, but it happened. So for real, thanks for supporting this story. I'll do my best to update faster.  
**

 **This has been DegenFluff, signing off once again.**

 **-Floofie (Don't ask XD)**


	20. Camping with Friends

**ABOUT TIME! :D**

 **Ugh, sorry for such late updates to this story. Recently, my life has gotten way busier than I thought it would get. Nowadays, I want to update, but I keep getting tasked with school work and other chores that come up.**

 **But hey, in return, you get big chapters like this one! That's a good thing, yeah? Not to mention it is the 20th chapter on this supposedly great story of mine. So, this is a special chapter! Long, and will have quite a few memories to be spread around among the best friends. :3**

 **So, enjoy this chapter!**

 _ **Disclaimer: This story is rate- wait a second. Shouldn't you know that this story is rated M by now? Like gosh, this is the 20th time I've put this thing here and you should have left by now if you aren't supposed to be reading this stuff. But oh well, jokes on you if you get in trouble. :P**_

* * *

 **(POV: Francis)**

The only thing I could hear was the sound of the car moving.

We all sat in the minivan that Alice had borrowed from her parents since apparently, her dad owned two of them or something. Alice's family were somewhat rich, at least in my eyes. Makes sense, since where would Alice get the money to get all of her anime stuff? Either she had her own job, which was likely, or her parents gave her money. I'm sure its the first one though.

But anyways, the car was literally filled with silence. It was somewhat awkward, but it carried tension. Probably from Aaron being in the van with _us_. But oh well, the silence was better for Alice as she drove.

While Alice drove the car, Amy sat in the front of the passenger. She was acting as a bit of a navigator for us. Turns out she knew the route to the campsite, just as much as Alice or the GPS did.

In the middle of the van, sat me. Well, not in the middle, but in the middle left the seat. I was close to the sliding door on the left of the minivan. Opposite to me was Bryce. After a bit of arguing between Tina and Brice, where he offered his seat to Tina, but she kindly declined for some reason. So, she ended up in the seats behind me and Brice, which meant she would be sitting right next to Aaron. She said she was fine with it but was she really? I couldn't be sure, but I suppose it would be her choice.

Then, there was all of our camping stuff in the back. Our tents, change of clothes, and the like. Heck, I even had the chance to bring my sword along with me. It was hanged on the back Alice's seat. The snack bag that we brought along, however, stayed in the middle beside me and Bryce. It was basically our jobs to hand out snacks and food to anyone who wanted it. Despite our snack bag, we also had more in the back. Though, that one was full of stuff for s'mores, so we wouldn't really want to be going through that one just yet.

Of course, it has been literally two hours at this point and we all hadn't spoken up once. Other than Alice talking to Amy about the directions and stuff.

"S-so... well... did everyone sleep well last night?" I asked, fiddling with my paws slightly. It was certainly awkward.

"Erm... other than my roommate blasting loud music in her room, I didn't really get to sleep well last night," Aaron said. chuckling a bit. Although it didn't seem funny to anyone else, he was the only one to find a joke out of it.

"Oh, uh... that gotta sucks," I replied to him, as I looked back at him slightly. "So, who's this roommate of yours? Are they someone we know at the school?" Aaron seemed to think for a moment, scratching his chin slightly.

"Hmm... to be honest, I don't think so." He said, frowning. "But hey, she's actually pretty cool. Helps me maintain the bills at the house we both live in. Unlike her though, I don't have a job just yet." The way Aaron described his roommate made me think she's a kind person or something. I've never met her, as did anyone else in the car, but I feel we'll be meeting her one day.

And once again, we were silent, driving down the not so busy highway.

"So, how much longer until we get to the camp?" Tina spoke up. It was about twenty minutes ago when we had last spoken, and Tina just broke the silence once again. Amy looked back at Tina with a bit of a glare but answered anyway.

"If I were to guess, maybe three or four more hours in this van," Amy replied, yawning slightly as she took a bite out of an apple she brought along on the trip. I could hear Tina sigh from the back. Clearly, even she was succumbing to the boredom, just like the rest of us in the van. Well, except Alice since she enjoyed driving, but still.

Suddenly, I get an idea for all of us to do.

"Hey, guys, how about... um... oh, I know! How about we play _I Spy_?" I ask, awaiting an answer from anyone. Bryce speaks up almost immediately.

"Erm... the only things that are out here are the highway with almost _no_ cars, a bunch of trees and forest on the sides of the roads, and the sky," Bryce said to me and had a point. "Not really any point of doing that, man. Especially when it's gonna be a fast game anyways."

"Yeah... you're right there, my bad." I exhaled slightly as I laid back in my seat a bit. Twiddling the digits of my paws slightly, I started to go into deep thought once again. Thought about what could happen on this trip. We were supposed to camp out somewhere in the forest a bit north of our city. It was a chance for all of us to just connect instead of connecting to the online servers of our games and chatlines. I loved it, as it was a great change of pace. A good experience. Not only that, but it also gives us a chance to really feel how nature is and just feel it instead of looking at it from behind a screen or a picture.

It really reminded me of the memories I had of me going camping with my dad before. I loved going camping back then, and I definitely still do. I just wish my dad were still around to be able to witness me growing up and stuff. He should have seen me after all that happened. I remember training harder than ever just days after we buried him.

 **(Flashback)**

 _It was a nice, sunny day. Not a single cloud in the sky. It wasn't hot, but it wasn't cold either. It was just a good day in general. It would be a good day to go out and grab some ice cream, or go out to the park and play a game of catch with your old man._

 _I, of course, couldn't really do that last one. Nor did I want to do the first one. All that was on my mind, was 'Eat, Train, Sleep, Repeat' and that was all. All I wanted for the next while after he passed away, was to get stronger and make sure no one else I loved got harmed. I didn't want it to happen again._

 _So, I was in the backyard, having set up another training dummy and I stood a few meters away from it. I wore the new fighting gi that my father had gotten for me a few weeks back. It was the exact same as my old and tattered one, but made to fit me and also withstand more pressure. It was not as rippable as the last one._

 _I closed my eyes, holding a fist in front of my face and I grit my teeth, growling deeply. I felt energy coursing through my body as it made its way towards my fist. I kept charging up my aura into my fist until it started to glow a bright blue and it even made the fur on my body stand up a bit. It was a lot of aura charged up, that's for sure. I opened my eyes, they burned with determination._

 _Yelling out loudly, I ran towards the wooden dummy and used the paw that didn't have my aura charged up and used Sky Uppercut, sending the dummy right out of the ground and it sailed upwards into the sky. I then used a burst of aura to launch myself up off the ground, up to the point of where I caught up to the dummy. which must have been at least 3_ _feet high. I then grabbed the dummy, and I slammed my aura-filled fist right into the dummy's chest area and I smashed right into it. Doing that caused it to be sent to the ground at such a fast pace, and it landed back in the yard with a big crash._

 _I landed back down on the ground, landing on my feet. Looking at what I had done to the dummy, it seemed to just be the remains of it. It was in literal pieces, and it was in a small crater created from the dummy's impact hitting the ground._

 _I then heard my mother call out to me. "Francis, why don't you stop training for now and come do something else?" I huff slightly, looking down. I didn't even look at her or give a second thought._

 _"No! I need to keep training. Maybe later." I told her, with a tone of seriousness as I then went over to grab another dummy to destroy. I was in the zone, and I was determined to make sure I wouldn't allow anyone else to leave me. Not after I failed to protect my father._

 **(End Flashback)**

Thinking back to those few days really made me think about how much progress I had gotten in terms of my training. I didn't know anyone else who was a hybrid Lucario like me, but... I think I would consider myself an 'above average' user of aura. I mean, out of all my friends, who could be able to harness the power of aura correctly?

No one, except maybe Tina. I think she used Aura Sphere before, too.

Alice turned off of the highway and started driving down a bit of a deserted road. Sure, there was the occasional car or truck going down the road every now and then, but it was still pretty empty. Looking to my right, I saw Bryce had his earbuds in and he was listening to music, while he also seemed to be staring out his window at the countless passing trees.

Looking behind me, Tina had her head leaned downwards. It looked like she was sleeping. Judging by how her chest was steadily rising and falling while I could also hear her quiet breathing, I'd say she was asleep. Makes sense to take a nap during the ride, since then you could be able to be awake and have fun once we get there. Be well rested and such, of course.

Glancing at Aaron who sat beside her, he seemed to be in deep thought. He was staring out the window while he had a bag of chips with him, and he ate it. The good ol' potato chips, of course. From what we packed, he seemed to have a liking for the regular chips instead of the other flavors, like ketchup or BBQ flavored chips. In my opinion, I find BBQ chips to be tasty to me. Anyways, it was hard to tell what he was thinking about. All that any one of us could say was that he was indeed in deep thought, probably thinking about something difficult.

I sighed inwardly, rubbing my head. This drive was taking much longer than I had thought, and it seemed to be longer than it was the last time we did it, which was last year and it was when Alice's dad decided to drive us down there. We had a blast the last time, and I'm hoping we'll have a blast this time as well.

* * *

We eventually got to our camping spot, and by the time that said time rolled around, I had managed to fall asleep. I got woken up by Bryce nudging my arm.

"Wake up, dude. We're here now." He said to me, shaking me slightly. He had to shake me twice when I finally got my brain working and process that we had indeed stopped and we were parked near a camping zone. I nodded to him as I groaned whilst stretching in my seat, and I finally got to unfastening my seat belt.

"Alright, alright... I'm up." I say to Bryce as I open the sliding door on my side and I hop out, not forgetting to slip my sword's scabbard back onto me. Not bad to be prepared, right? I looked around, checking the scenery of the place. I smiled. It was as if it were just as we had left it from before. The beautiful clearing where the sun wasn't as bright as it was in some areas of the forest, but it wasn't too dark either. It was practically perfect.

"Great to be back here, aren't ya?" Bryce said to me as he put a paw on my shoulder, then looked at me. He was grinning from ear to ear, and I'm sure I was too.

"Definitely, best buddy," I said back to him, nodding. I then look over at the rest of the group, who seemed to have already finished setting up their own tents. Alice and Amy had their tent set up already, as did Tina. Alice offered to share their tent with Tina, but she respectfully opted out, seemingly wanting to have space for herself and sleep alone. Tina was currently looking through her bag, her fluffy and long tail swaying slowly. But, uh... that didn't exactly mean I was looking _there_ , alright? She just seemed to be checking if she had all her stuff and such.

Looking over, I saw Aaron carrying our cooler that had all of our drinks kept nicely in there over to the where everyone else's bags and such were. Apparently, everyone had been unpacking while I was asleep. They had even brought out my stuff from the van. My tent, or should I say the tent that Bryce and I would be sharing, was placed right beside my bag, ready to be set up.

I then see Bryce leaving my side, going over to where our stuff was. I assumed he was gonna get to set the tent up, so I followed behind him to see if I could be of use at this moment. He looked back, then glanced back at the bag our tent stuff was in and nodded to me.

"Let's get our tent set up. The girls sorta beat us in putting a tent up first." He said to me with a chuckle, and I nodded back to him.

"Alright, let's do it then," I said, replying to him as I grabbed the bag and opened it up, taking out the tent's contents so we could set it up.

And we did just that. Though it took us about an hour because Bryce and I had no freaking clue what we were doing, but we managed to do it anyways. Heck, I got caught and tied up in the sort of support ropes and the girls laughed at me. Sorta humiliating, but I know they didn't mean any sorts of harm. Tina, Bryce, and even Aaron stepped in to help get me untangled from the tent supports. Yeah, it got _that_ bad. But luckily, like I said, Bryce and I managed to get our tent set up.

Bryce hammered the last peg to support our tent into the ground using the mallet, then stood up and came over to me. Our tent now standing tall and complete, just like the others. Except even Aaron set his tent faster than we did, and we started before him. But of course, it wasn't really about who put their tent up first and all that. What mattered was that we all had our camp set up. At least the essential stuff was already done, which is pretty good in my books.

"There we go! Tents are up and all, anything else in the van that we'll probably need?" Bryce said to me, and I scratched my head. We had all of our bags taken out, along with our refreshments cooler and snack bag, so there wasn't really anything else to bring out. "I don't think so, but feel free to check anyway," I said to Bryce, and he nodded. He placed the mallet he used to nail the pegs of our tent next to me then walked back over to the van to check.

I got back up to my feet, and wiped some sweat off of my head, Moving one of the bangs of fur atop my head to the side slightly, I yawned. Even though I had napped in the car, I still felt a little bit tired for some reason. Maybe it was how I've been staying up late reading novels and browsing social media websites is what it is.

"Still tired, huh?" I turn my head to see Aaron standing over me, and he reaches his hand to help me up. After realizing his intention in a second, I take his hand and he hoists me up to my feet. "Don't worry about it, Francis. Recently, I've been getting a lot less sleep in general too." Being a friend who actually cares, I decided to talk back.

"Is that so? That's interesting." I say, scratching my chin as I sigh. "Well, any reason why you think it's happening to you?" I asked with a bit of wonder because I kinda wanted to know his reasoning.

"Just been staying up to finish other school projects and stuff, ya know? Not to mention the feeling of guilt in me after... what I did to you and Tina." He said that last part in a quiet voice as if the others heard him, they would hypothetically throw him out of our camp and make sure he doesn't come back. I couldn't tell if he was joking, so he was either a REALLY good actor or he was actually being truthful about it, which is good for him. I'm quite happy he's trying to change his ways for the better.

"Ah, I understand. Don't worry about it though," I say to him as I move one of my bags close to the tent. "Sooner or later, we'll be free from the stressful life of school and such. No more projects, no more homework assignments, no more of any of that." He nods as he smiles a bit.

I lean to him and I then speak to him in a quiet voice. "Oh, and don't worry about that whole debacle before. Trust me, I'm fine with that one." He seemed to sulk slightly as he then looked away, his smile turning into a sort of guilty frown. I sighed a little, but as soon as I went to speak up, he interrupted me.

"I-it'll be fine. I just gotta get over it, is all." He said as he rubbed the back of his head, letting out a nervous chuckle. I nod to him, smiling politely. Soon, he goes off to do something else. And I do the same.

Eventually, we found all had found things to do. Some of us played cards, some of us went off to play tag in the woods for a while. We had our fun while we're out here.

And as soon as I could realize, the sky became darker, meaning only one thing of course; it was now night time. Time flies when you're out doing stuff in the forest, especially if it's something fun to do as well.

* * *

I soon find myself sitting at the campfire with everyone. We were all roasting some sausages we had brought, using sticks we had picked up off of the ground. We had properly cleaned them, and they were good for use.

Aaron stabbed his sausage with his stick and grinned that he was able to do it. "Heh, perfection." He seemed to say to himself as he hovered his sausage over the fire, so it would cook. Before we started cooking snacks, we all agreed that we wouldn't let Bryce, Alice or Aaron use any fire attacks to cook their food, just because we wanted to keep it legit and so it would be a much better experience. That, and we wanted them to feel the waiting time for food too.

Bryce took a long whiff and sighed in delight, seemingly smiling happily. "Ah, it's been so long since we've cooked food by using a campfire," He said, holding his sausage stick over the fire. "I missed the feeling of accidentally burning a part of a sausage because of not holding it properly."

"I agree. The components of camping are quite interesting and quite nostalgic, especially if you haven't gone camping in a long time. It'll make anyone feel like a kid again." Tina said, seemingly agreeing with Bryce's statement as she took a small bite of her cooked sausage.

"True. As lame as I do sorta sound here, I... well, going camping with you guys wasn't as boring as I had originally thought." Amy half-muttered, currently munching on the hotdog she had made for herself by using the sausage she cooked along with a hot-dog bun.

Alice's face brightened up as she then hugged Amy. "Aha, oh my gosh! So you finally admitted to having fun after all!" She said, giggling a little bit. Amy huffed as she looked away, her face lighting up with a red color. "W-what?! I...! I never said that at all!" Amy retorted as she grits her teeth, blushing more as Alice continued to hug her with a very one-sided hug. If I were honest, Amy and Alice would make the cutest ship. The contrast between the peppy Arcanine and the somewhat tough and tsundere-like Flygon is just so interesting, and putting them together makes for a very interesting relationship. I wonder if Alice ever thought about that sort of thing happening with Amy, and vice versa.

Amy seemed to grumble to herself as she got hugged by the Arcanine, but didn't say anything back to her. She scoffed a bit and looked away, munching on her hot dog.

I smiled to myself, watching my friends get along. I let my sausage roast more in the fire and I then took it away, checking on its progress on being cooked. It was a little burnt, but it was cooked enough to the point where it could be eaten. I grinned, for I was pretty hungry at that point. I took a bite of the sausage and smiled in delight. Wherever Alice bought these sausages from, I would have to ask my mother if we could go out and buy the same brand of sausages because of how delicious they were.

I then notice Tina move so she could sit beside me, while she absentmindedly ate a marshmallow. I looked at her and nodded. "Ah, hey. You enjoying the trip so far?" I asked her and she smiled brightly as she nodded.

"Yes, it's been a fun trip so far. I hadn't gone camping since I was a little grem. It's quite the time to be experiencing this all again, especially when it's with close friends of mine." She said to me as she ate another marshmallow. I nodded, agreeing with her completely. She was definitely right about that.

"I agree there. Though we all went here a year ago, and it seems that maybe Arceus had preserved this spot here for us to use, huh?" I said, chuckling a bit. She gave a little giggle as well.

Soon after we had finished eating and such, we began to just talk to each other in front of the campfire.

"...and then the guy at the desk said he had no more copies of the game to the kid, and what did he do? The kid went and threw this huge tantrum, so much that they had to get mall security to throw him out!" Bryce said, telling a story about an event that had happened recently. To me, the child was probably spoiled or something. Some of us laughed at his story, some of us shook our heads. Some of us did both.

"Geez, that must have been rough to witness," Alice said, eating another marshmallow straight from the bag as she shook her head dismissively. "Not only is that a huge inconvenience for the store manager, but also the security as well. The kid must have been super ashamed of himself." Most, if not all of us, nodded. One should have _some_ sort of embarrassment when pulling something like a tantrum, especially in a public place like the mall.

Sooner or later, however, it proved to be getting late. So, we then all agreed to end our night there and just go to bed. Besides, some of us were looking tired.

I finished changing from the clothes I were wearing to the simple shorts and t-shirt I had brought as my sleeping clothes, whilst Bryce did the same, wearing a pair of PJ pants and a t-shirt as well. We didn't really have any problems with changing in front of each other, as long as one or the other kept a certain distance. I then slipped myself into my sleeping bag and laid my head on the pillow I had brought, then sighed in contentment, relaxing a bit.

"You mind if I turn the lamp off now?" I hear Bryce asking me, and I open an eye to look over at him. He had a finger over the switch to turn off the lamp. I nodded to him.

"Yeah, sure. We are going to sleep now, after all. No need for any lights on." I said to him and he nodded. He flipped the switch, making the lamp's light go out. The tent of ours was now dark, but we could still somewhat see. I hear Bryce shuffle over to his sleeping bag and I hear him slip into it, making himself comfy as well. I hear him sigh in the darkness.

"G'night, dude," Bryce says to me as he shifts once more, getting comfortable.

"Night," I reply to him, moving so that I could sleep on my side. And like that, I start to dose off...

* * *

 **(POV Change: Aaron)**

...

I open my eyes and sit up, looking around frantically as I pant heavily.

"Haaah... haaah..." I pant a bit more as I put my clawed hand on my chest, and felt my heartbeat.

 _Bam. Bam. Bam. Bam._

After a minute or so, I sighed to myself. I had another nightmare. I can barely remember what it was about, too. Probably something stupid to be honest, but I'm making such a big deal over it. Another reason why I think I'm turning into a wimp, I suppose.

I groan inwardly as I cover my face with both my hands for a moment, then I slip out of my sleeping bag and I move to leave my tent.

I peek my head out, looking around briefly. The place was pretty quiet, aside from the sound of a cricket every now and then. The place was unlit, too. The campfire was put out, it was like that since we had decided to go to bed earlier. Alice's van was parked over to the side, near the dirt road that goes back to the main road. Everyone else's tents were dark as well, meaning everyone had gone to sleep.

But... I noticed Tina's tent was somewhat lit.

Curious as to why, I stepped out of my tent quietly and went over to behind a big rock near my tent, then hid behind it. I peered over the rock, and I saw Tina leaving her tent as well. She seemed tired since she was rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She also appeared to be wearing a simple white t-shirt and black sweatpants as her sleeping clothes. It's pretty generic, I sometimes sleep in sweatpants as well. I was just wearing a black tank top and shorts though.

But anyways, I see her leave the camp area and walk out into the forest for some reason. I cocked my head to the side, somewhat curious as to what her intentions were.

"What is she doing..?" I mutter to myself in a quiet voice as I then start to follow her, making sure I'm not noticed by her. I kept my distance but made sure I knew where she would be. It's sorta easy since she did have a flashlight with her, after all.

After a while of following her through the forest, maybe for at least 5 minutes or so, she then stopped. Then I stopped. She seemed to look around for a moment. I hid behind a tree and I peeked out carefully, still watching her. I noticed that she seemed to be looking around intently as if she knew someone was here with her. Had... had she figured out that I had been following her? Even at this distance? If she figured that out, I'd be pretty impressed if she did.

She then turned to look in my direction while also pointing the flashlight in my direction as well, shining it on the tree I was hiding behind. I quickly moved so that I hid behind the tree completely and took in a deep breath. I had a feeling she didn't want to be followed out here.

"Hey! I know you're there!" I hear her yell out to me, and I gulp. _Uh oh._ "You better come out, no point in hiding there!" She sounded quite annoyed and she probably did want the person hiding to come out.

Well shit, if she wanted me to come out, guess I'll show myself!

Although I wanted to go with a confident and cocky approach, it wouldn't fit the persona I've been trying to show to everyone. So, I played it as any guilty person would and meekly peeked out from the tree for a moment, then slowly moved out from behind it as well. Tina didn't seem very pleased. She started to move towards me.

"Oh... it's just you, Aaron. It was sorta obvious it was you since I could sorta see the light from your tail." Tina said as she smirked a little. I felt my face light up slightly, the blush being more genuine. I find Tina always has some sort of attitude to her that allows her to get under the skin of people, but not in a bad way. Besides, you can't really fake a blush, can you?

"I... aha, I woke up randomly and I wanted to go for a walk outside. I sorta saw you doing your own thing out here, so I sorta followed cause I got curious as to where you were wandering off to.." I said to her while I fiddled with my hands, twiddling my claws slightly. She nodded, as she got a little closer to me. At this point, she was standing right in front of me. Compared to me, her height maxed out at where my shoulders would be. She wasn't exactly short but wasn't tall either.

I never noticed it before but I now realize that her eyes glowed in the dark slightly. A sort of shining green.

I stared into her eyes, and she stared back. Her eyes... they seemed so mystifying to me, yet so beautiful. I haven't seen anything like it, nor have I paid it any mind in the past before. But now that I'm actually concentrating on not killing them, I seem I could take in certain details much better.

As I continued to stare into her emerald eyes, she then stepped back and seemingly huffed, turning her back to me and crossing her arms. I heard her release a sigh from her maw.

"...you're quite taken aback for someone who isn't actually as sincere as they make themselves out to be, aren't you?" I heard her say with a hint of anger in her voice. Although I didn't expect her to be trying to expose my case too early on, let alone doing it with no one else around. I may have faltered a little bit, but... I'm pretty sure I didn't show anything close to being guilty of that.

"I... T-Tina.." I stuttered out, but she didn't even give me chance.

"No, Aaron. No!" She yelled at me, turning around and growling at me. "Do you really think I can't see through that stupid schtick of yours? It's so easy to see that you're lying!" I, honestly, was getting taken aback by this. As much as I did want to say I was faking being surprised, I really wasn't. She truly was a prodigy to be able to know when a person was faking something on a level that I was.

"B-but Tina...!" I tried to say something once more, but I was once again cut off by her.

"No! I won't let you enact whatever you planned to do! I... I'll tell them before you can do anything to them!" She said with anger as she then went running off to go back towards the camp. However, before she could run off, she seemed got her foot caught in an exposed tree's roots and her foot got caught. I looked on in surprise as she gave out a grunt of pain as she then faceplanted on the ground.

"F-fuck! O-ow.." She swore, immediately freeing her leg from the root and she tried to get back up. Though, if I remember, the foot that got snagged was the foot that was also injured in our fight before. She fell back down and winced loudly. I could visibly see her grabbing her leg in pain while she grits her teeth. I winced myself, thinking how badly she must be in pain at the moment. For some reason, this feeling was genuine. Not fake at all, as if I actually cared for Tina.

 _Could I be gaining a sort of crush on her?_

I went to her side to see if I could lend her my help. She huffed and looked away from me. "S-screw you, jerk... You're better not helping me!" Tina said, growling at me as I approached her. I frowned a bit, then sighed. I moved to then pick her up and she looks very surprised, and I could swear she blushed a bit.

"H-hey! What're you doing?!" She said as I began to properly carry her back to the camp. I smiled a bit.

"You know, I'm pretty sure with that injury you won't be able to walk to the camp by yourself. So, instead of me leaving you behind, I thought I could just help you out like any friend would and carry you back." I said to her and she simply looked away, huffing a little.

Soon, we got back to the camp and I placed Tina down onto her sleeping bag carefully, inside of her tent. She shifted slightly as she sat up.

"T-thanks, I guess," Tina said as she looked away. She rubbed her ankle slightly and when she tried to move it a little, she winced. "O-ow... hey, could you go over to the cooler outside and find something cold in there?" I nodded, eager to help Tina at that moment and I went off to the cooler to grab an ice pack or something.

I come back to her a minute or so later, bringing a can of root beer. I couldn't find an ice pack, so something else that was cold had to suffice. I went back into her tent and kneeled down next to her, holding out the can for her to take. She took it hesitantly for some reason and nodded.

"Not an ice pack, but this will do trick. T-thanks." She said, placing the can on her ankle to ease the pain a bit. I can see her wince a bit as she did so, along with emitting a bit of a pained grunt. We were there together for another few minutes, an awkward silence developing. Sooner or later, I just sigh and move to get up.

"Well... I'll just go back to my tent. Sleep well, and try not to move that ankle much, got it?" I said to her as I went to then leave her tent. Suddenly, I felt something grab my tail. I stop and look back, to see Tina had grabbed my tail. She was still looking away.

"Y-you... ugh, I'm a bit cold all alone here. Could you maybe stay a while and keep me warm..?" Tina said somewhat timidly as she had a grip on my tail. As she said that, I visibly blushed. A girl, let alone Tina, has never really asked me to be with them. N-not in _that_ way, of course.

"I-I... don't see anything wrong with tha-" I started to say, but then she pulled my tail with an unbelievable strength and I inevitably lost my balance and fell over onto her sleeping bag beside her and she let out a giggle. I grunted a bit from the fall, though it didn't really hurt at all.

"Heh, didn't expect that? I thought you would have your guard up all the time." She teased, giving me her signature smirk. I flushed a bit, my face turning redder than it already was.

"I m-mean, I do... but you caught me off guard there," I said, scratching the back of my head as I look away. I didn't even have to look her way to know her smirk got bigger.

"Heh, look at you. Mr 'Big and Brooding' all flustered up," She teased again, giggling more while I was at the expense of her so-called 'humor'. My face was as red as a firetruck at that point. "Didn't think someone as tough and ruthless as you had a heart." Even though I was a fire type, I felt more heat coming from my face than from my tail.

"J-just shush, alright? You should probably be resting..!" I said quickly, getting more flustered by the minute.

"Well, fine then," Tina said as she then pulls me close to her as she hugged me close. "Oof, you're actually warmer than I thought." Never in my life had I been more embarrassed and flustered.

"I just.. h-hmph." I exhaled slightly and crossed my arms, looking away from her. She let out another giggle. Then, I hear her move her head so that she could whisper to me. Though, her voice was now sporting a sort of serious tone than before.

"You better not be plotting to betray us all later on, or else I'll have to rip your wings right off of your back. You got that?" She said to me in a sort of cold tone. I went from being flustered to having a cold chill go down my spine.

"A-ah... I promise I'm not." I said, stuttering a little. I heard a small chuckle come from her direction, then I felt her snuggle up to me. She laid her head on my chest and hugged me close to her.

"G'night, dummy," She said to me, in which I inwardly sighed. And soon enough, she was asleep. Honestly, I didn't know what to think about this. One second, she was my enemy and now, she's acting all so kind to me, like everyone else is. It's... unsettling. For me, at least.

I looked down at Tina and she looks so peaceful, all snuggled up to me and stuff. I couldn't help but form a genuine smile on my face. I couldn't help it. Seems like she can really bring out the good moods in people. I think it's a good thing.

Knowing I couldn't really do anything while I was there with her, I figured to just go with it. I sigh for a moment and get comfy, then I put my arms around her slightly. Once I'm nice and comfy, I relax and lay my head back on her pillow.

Closing my eyes, I finally drift away into sleep...

* * *

 **HOLY SHIT, IT'S FINALLY DONE.**

 **Like, for fucks sake, I'm super sorry I kept this chapter off for a long time! It's been a few months since a legitimate update. I've been going through some family issues, as well as school stuff at the same time. It sucks, but I might be back again.  
**

 **Hopefully, you all had a swell Christmas and Happy New Year! Take this as a very late gift from ol' Floofie. :P**

 **~Degenerate "The Floofs has come back" Fluffington**


	21. ANNOUNCEMENT

Yep. This is DegenFluff.

So, yeah. Clearly, this isn't chapter 21 like some of you wanted. Honestly, as much as I wanted to release a chapter soon, something was bothering me. That said thing? It's how badly written the first few chapters are. After I reread them myself, I cringed. Like, I cringed really hard reading my old chapters. Sure, I'm glad that I've gotten so much better at writing as I've continued writing, but my early days of writing were truly more terrible than I had initially thought.

Though, I do have a solution to this. My plan consists of me going back and remaking and/or rewriting the old chapters so they look a little bit less cringy. As I try to remake these early chapters, however, it also means I won't go back and release more chapters anytime soon. In terms of when I finish making these chapters "fixed", I'll do my best to update them as fast as possible.

Sorry for any inconvenience I've caused by this. Have a good day/evening/night.

~Degenerate " _Cringe101_ " Fluffington


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